The Twists of Fate
by Sabere Commander
Summary: Humphrey had been separated from the Jasper Pack during the Moonlight Howl. Taken to Sawtooth, Humphrey joined a pack to survive but when the opportunity to see his old home arises, he accepts. Unfortunately, trouble quickly follows after him from Sawtooth. The United Pack and Sawtooth pack are at war and the only way to stop it is to uncover who framed Humphrey.
1. Chapter 1

**Alpha and Omega**

 _ **The Twists of Fate**_

001

"'Twisting in the Wind"

It was a sunny day for the Omegas of the Western Wolf Pack of Jasper Park. They had all woken up early, for they had no responsibilities. An omega's task was not to hunt down game for the pack, nor to stand sentry at key points. Their only actual task, if it could have been called that, was to have fun and brighten everyone's day. Every omega had their own unique way of doing this; however, one cluster stood above the rest. Some had claimed they were fearless and others claimed they were morons. Luckily, their leader was definitely everything mentioned and more, for he was Humphrey.

Humphrey wasn't the leader of the omega wolves, but he had much influence between them all. He had three wolves in particular that were more loyal to him than the very pack leader. The wolves had dubbed the names: Shaky, Salty, and Mooch. Like their friend, they were all easily distinguishable from other wolves. Mooch was impressively large, despite most of his size being the result of over eating. Salty was a large and lanky wolf that probably could have been an alpha if it weren't for his omega mentality. The last was Shakey who was near midnight black and surprisingly small for a wolf, his pelt around his head had looked like it had been combed back.

All three wolves were sitting inside a hollowed log with Humphrey at the top of a very steep hill. The journey up and down the hill was littered with boulders, trees, and various kinds of debris. The prospect of sliding down this cluttered hillside in nothing but a mere log would frighten most men. Fortunately, the occupants were not men but wolves and stupid ones at that. If one was forced to slide down this, they would hope luck was on their side, yet not the wolves. They had preformed this stunt on many a hill prior to this, including this one its self.

"... Mooch your the brakes, everyone set?" The young wolf looked over his shoulder at his childhood friends. They all seemed as determined and ready as he had always been. He faced downhill and signaled for Mooch to push them over, which would start their ride. "Alright Mooch, let's do this."

As the group and the log went over the hill, they threw their arms up. They gained speed _very_ quickly. With little time to react, they buckled down and began steering. They had decided on using their paws to steer by planting them simultaneously to avoid injury. It proved effective as they managed to escape crashes and even go off of smaller hills for some stunts. At one particular moment, Salty had stood up and did something called a "T-pose" before a flying insect flew into his mouth. If they had to summarize their experience, they would claim it was a blast; however, for every up there is a inevitable down.

"Um Humphrey!" The wolf called Shakey pointed his paw directly ahead of the group. In the rush and laughter, Humphrey had failed at noticing the sudden drop off they were sliding to.

" _Oh_ no." His lack of enthusiasm brought Salty and Mooch up to speed. Everyone in their group braced for the crash.

They flew over the edge and felt butterflies in the stomach, their grips slipped and one by one they were separated from their ride. The wolves each let out a scream of excitement mixed with fear as they approached the ground. While falling, Humphrey had noticed some commotion in a valley of sorts. He couldn't ponder it, for he smacked into the ground. This didn't kill him or even injure him more than some bruises.

When Humphrey recovered, he had noticed his friends were some distance away from himself. Rather than go reunite, he chose to investigate the valley. He found a group of caribou and was going to call his friends over until he'd seen the hunting party below. They were slowly stalking towards the game in tall grass. He would have given them more attention if he didn't hear the steps behind him. He turned his head and saw his three friends approaching.

"Wow, thanks for making sure we're okay Humphrey." Salty spoke to him with irritation evident in his voice.

"Ah, I knew you guys would be fine." He looked back into the valley below and noticed the hunting party ready to pounce. "Besides, look what I found. Looks like we're eating caribou tonight boys." They smiled at the thought, but it was dashed away by what occurred next.

A brown wolf leaped at the caribou from the opposite side of the hunting pack. It was followed quickly by a tan wolf which attacked another; however, the caribou shook the wolves off and made haste away. The hunting pack wasted no time and gave chase with the new wolves in pursuit as well. Unfortunately, a member of the hunting pack was lagging behind. They were golden and their fur seemed to shimmer whenever the sunlight streaked across them. This didn't last as all four of the faster wolves raced the other direction, confusing even the omegas. The rumble in the ground solved the question on all of their minds, for their was a heard of caribou stampeding.

The golden wolf, Kate as Humphrey remembered her, was quickly surrounded as forced to follow the stampede's current, lest she be trampled. As the situation became increasingly dangerous she did something that awed all the wolves present. In an amazing display of agility, she leapt up and jumped off the back of a stampeding caribou, caught a branch in her mouth and twirled around it before leaping from it and landing safely behind the stampede. Every wolf was speechless until a small wolf raced up to her. It was incredibly muscular but sported multiple scars.

"Are you okay?" They spoke in a frantic manner, one uncommon for that particular wolf. This particular wolf was known as Candu, a highly aggressive beta.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kate's reply had calmed him down long enough to remember the interlopers. He didn't waste time when he rushed to the center of the valley and growled at them.

"Hey, what's your problem eastern dog!?" The title he gave them flared their tempers.

"Watch your mouth, western mutt!" The brown wolf bared his fangs at the much smaller wolf.

"What was that?!" Candu probably would have attacked if a friendly wolf hadn't interrupted. He was Hutch, a black and white furred wolf with on long scar across his snout and a beta as well.

"Calm down Candu." Hutch focused on the other wolves. "Besides what are you even doing here? This is is part of the Western Pack's territory."

"We had to hunt here, we were starving. We have just as much right to this food as you!" They had practical snarled every word. The response had Candu growling his deepest growl and even Hutch become weary of them. When the tanned wolf accompanying the eastern wolves snapped its jaws, the wolves charged each other. They never managed to bite each other, only snarl and bark, for the western pack's leader had interrupted. He was an older wolf by the name of Winston. He was primarily dark grey with hints of silver, hinting at his age.

"Enough!" His voice was strong and deep, the true voice of a commander. He looked pointedly at the eastern wolves. "Go home, now. I'll be having words with your pack leader over this." When they turned and shuffled off, his frustration focused back on the hunting pack. "Western wolves, return to your dens." The wolves weren't pleased with their hunt or the way Winston had acted to them. Fortunately, they had enough respect for Winston that they didn't dare challenge his orders.

The members passed by him one after another until Kate got close. When the golden wolf made to pass him, Winston nudged her. He offered a reassuring smile to her, a silent sign of understanding. The gesture seemed odd to anyone out of the loop. Luckily any bystanders witnessing knew that they held a close relationship, Winston was her father.

"How you doing baby?" Winston's voice had changed between his commands and when he addressed his daughter. Now it was a partially dry, whisper like, voice.

"It's those stupid eastern wolves, they ruined my first hunt." Kate's focus had shifted to her paws. The wolves had indeed ruined the hunt; however, her under performance had also thrown her off balance, mentally that is.

"It's alright baby girl, I'm going to have a discussion with Tony about the eastern wolves' actions anyways." He gave her a comforting smile before looking over his shoulder. "Now go say high to your sister and your mother. They're waiting for you at the den." A series of nods signaled Winston to lead the way home.

When the elder and younger wolf walked away from the valley, they didn't notice the omega watching them intently, or rather one of them intently. His stares lingered on a particular golden colored wolf. He watched her fur glisten and reveal the curves of her body, all with satisfaction, His ogling only ceased when a paw slapped the back of his head. He turned around and glared at his friends; however, the smugness they wore melted his frustrations away. They knew as well as him that he had had a crush on her since they were pups. Age had done little to dissuade his intentions.

"Don't even think about it." Shakey had said, he was followed by Salty adding on to his warning.

"Yeah, you know the rules. She's and alpha and your an omega." The third wolf, Mooch, had offered no words, only a nod of agreement. With all three of his closest friends staring at him, Humphrey quickly caved in to their reasoning.

"Guys, guys, guys. You have nothing to worry about." After saying such things, his friend Mooch rolled his eyes; although, Humphrey ignored the action and continued. "I know the rules, alphas and omegas can't mix." Humphrey looked back to where he'd last seen Kate and Winston, both of them were long gone by then, before finishing. "Besides, no harm in daydreaming."

"Right dreaming, because there's no way you could be with Kate, Pack law forbids it." Mooch had finally spoken and, as one would assume, his words definitely weren't supportive.

"Maybe you should set your sites on some on else, like the berry twins!" The wolves Shakey had mentioned actually cause Humphrey to grimace. The were vegetarians and only ate wild berries, but one would be wise to wait until they finished their meal. The two had little in the way of table manners.

"I think I'll pass Shakes." Humphrey walked away from his friends and began looking for a way down. He wanted to get a head start on sleep for the sun was setting. The next day was filled with importance, for that would be the day the moonlight howl would occur. Despite the warnings and pressure from _friends_ and pack alike, Humphrey had every intention of asking Kate out. He was felt certain that he and Kate were meant to be together, he felt it in his _soul_.

He would go home and sleep with marry an idea of the strings being pulled around him. That night he would sleep the most comfortable he had in years. Dreams of his childhood and his life long crush Kate danced in his head. This would be his last moment of reprieve, a gift from heaven, for soon his world would end. The first of many blows would occur fairly soon and the instigator behind the misery was preparing that very night, far away from the dens of the wolves from the western Jasper pack.

 **xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx**

Night had swept across Jasper Park bringing with it the frozen breath from evil's very own lungs. It was dense and cold to the touch, making one mistake it for common fog. It was not simple fog because it knowingly masked the evil deeds that occurred at night. It circled a clearing deep in the woods of Jasper Park. The dirt had been smoothed from decades of creatures traversing it and cut through the middle by a trail of water run off from the waterfall nearby. Only two beings came to such an area a night, _two wolves_. The leaders of the Western Pack and the Eastern Pack, Winston and Tony. Their purpose is most wicked, to decide the destiny of one wolf and unconsciously change the destiny of another.

"Winston..." Called a chestnut brown wolf, his voice betraying his age.

"Tony..." The Western leader greeted him with a friendly tone. The tone was justified because the were childhood friends. They had even been trained at the same time; however, this all held little weight at the time. Their respective fathers had had a major dispute and the result was the entire pack splitting into the eastern and western portions. This only added to the tension between the packs, forcing Tony and Winston to try and quell the fires their predecessors left behind.

"It's a now night tonight." Tony was calm and careful in his wording. They were so close to pulling off their plan, neither could afford it all to fall apart. They were running on borrowed time and it only made things worse for them. In truth, neither was entirely committed to the plan, but until better means show their self it was their best shot. They needed to combine the packs again to prevent a war.

"It is a nice night, how are you by the way?"

"Oh you know, the disc keeps slipping in my back, it's been a real pain lately." Tony hunched his back to show it was his lower back in particular that had been hurting.

"Huh, how weird. Well, you know something else that's weird? A pair of eastern wolves interrupting a hunt." In the seconds it took for him to finish his sentence, it became all to apparent the kid gloves were off.

"You know there's no caribou in the east!" Tony verbally bit back with scowl on his face.

"Hmm, sounds like you got a problem." Winston had returned his glare. The conversation was leading to a touchy subject for both of them.

"Winston, what are you waiting for? My pack's starving, I can't keep the war off forever. Unite the packs like we promised each other." The wolves had been circling during their conversation, buts topped to stare each other down. "Have Kate marry Garth, that was the agreement wasn't it?" The statement alone was enough to bring doubt and hesitation into Winston. "We're keeping up our end of the agreement, now it's time to keep up yours."

"What would you recommend I do Tony? Tell her the truth? She doesn't even know your son. How can she be expected to-" Winston never finished his sentence as Tony had interrupted him with glee.

"Have them meet tomorrow night at the moonlight howl, it'd be the perfect moment to familiarize herself with Garth." Tony was beginning to tire from the long stretches he spent awake. He would enjoy his coming slumber, so he ended their conversation with one subtle threat. "We both love our packs, but if it comes to starvation then we'll fight for the valley..."

Tony quickly retreated into the dense dog at the end of the clearing. Winston found himself sitting there trapped in his thoughts. He pondered how the situation had become so strained, so _intense_. He would continue on the subject of the cold night air hadn't begun nipping at his tail. If he was certain about anything at all from that night's meeting, then it was the fact that he had run out of time.

 **xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx**

The sun was setting over the beautiful mountains of Jasper Park, a young man stood outside a log cabin in the woods do said park. Brown hair and eyes complimented his stand and green attire. He was waiting for a fellow man to meet him. He had a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder and a green cap on his head. He was a forest ranger and he was going to get a wolf for relocation. The sound of a truck engine pulled his attention to a faded red pick up truck. His fellow park ranger had finally arrived at their meeting point.

The truck sputtered when slowing and gave a loud backfire. It concerned the young ranger whether it was ideal to take such a clumsy vehicle on the mission they had. Unfortunately, they had little choice in the matter. It was the only car available in time and the only one with enough space to hold the wolf cages in the back. He climbed in as soon as possible and greeted the driver.

"Hey Earnie, how's it hanging?" The man in question wore the same attire as him; however, he wore a hunting hat and sunglasses instead of a plain green cap. His hair was orange along with his motorcycle mustache. He man only responded in grunts, for as long as the younger one had known him, and it hadn't changed. They opted to turn the radio on, the silence was boring after all.

They drove past many a trees and boulders before they slowed. The dirt road they'd been traveling on had become uneven and it made the truck bounce from the potholes. Eventually the jumping and jerking subsided; although, the rest of the road had been blocked off by a gate. Earnie turned the truck off in order to save gasoline, they wouldn't be back to the truck for some time. The rest of their journey was a mile long trek into wolf country.

Neither of the two would admit to being on edge, not in the presence of friends at least. Wolf country was notoriously dangerous, especially for humans as the wolves across the park had shown signs of being agitated and aggressive. They had armed themselves with semi automatic dart guns, for killing wolves in the sanctioned territory wasn't allowed. The hoped the semi automatic weapons would give them enough time to escape if something went wrong. In addition the the guns' added safety, they hoped the cover of darkness would help too.

When they arrived at their intended location, they both felt a breath of relief wash over them, metaphorically that is. It was now night time and dusk had just ended, giving them the perfect opportunity to spy on the wolves gathering at the large, rocky, formation. They both took a brief moment to rest before beginning the stealthy and dangerous journey closer to the rock. They stilled their bodies multiple times when a wolf got to close for come fort on many occasions. They were wise enough to mask their scent, which inevitably saved their lives on more than one occasion.

The eventually arrive at the base of the formation. The took shelter behind bushes of the trail that the wolves seemed to be pouring in through. The dozens of howls had shaken both men, but neither ran from cover. To do so would draw attention and sign one's immediate death warrant. Instead they readied their rifles and leveled the barrels. They had to be patient and wait for one of the elves to wander away from the trail. If they had attempted to snatch one on the pathway, all the wolves would have been alerted to their presence and, fit as they may have been, the two rangers would have been run down.

Luckily, fortunate smiles on the prepared. The patience had allowed _two_ wolves to get close. They silver one appeared to be playing with the golden one; however, a yip and a bark caused the silver one to stop. Some growling rumbled deep from the chest of the golden one, proving that no matter how beautiful these creatures were, they were still beasts. When the silver haired wolf began backing up closer to the concealed rangers, both tensed. Their lives couldn't end so easily, they wouldn't. The golden one turned and quickly rejoined the others, leaving the Lone wolf to sit there and pout.

An sigh escaped it before the quickest yip it ever had arrived. The hunters had ceased the opportunity and tagged him with a tranquilizer. They allowed the wolf to drop before swooping up its limp form. After doing such, the hunters made haste back to their truck, hiding only when necessary. They had seen enough close calls to last a life time on that trip alone. They quickly loaded the wolf into a cage before sliding into their seats. A slam and click followed, allowing them to relax.

"Hey Earnie, let's get the hell home before the wolves catch on." He let loose a hollow laugh and Ben caught a smile on Earnie's face. This was short lived as a second later a wolf was banging against the glass window of the passenger seat. Large teeth snapped at the glass as drool flicked onto the window. The wolf pawed at the glass and scratched, even barking. More wolves joined its cause and the truck actually rocked side to side. "Fuck! Drive Earnie!"

the large man needed no other encouragement. He slammed into reverse and peeled out. Another wolf came from the woods and leaped at the window, the impact had caused small cracks. Earnie needed no more incentive to hasten his pace. His motivation was keeping his life. The two sped off and kept doing so until a minute after the wolves had lost them. They had escaped unscathed, but now with a fear of wolves and very frightened. A sigh escaped Earnie when he let off the gas peddle.

"Jesus Christ man, this payment better be worth it." No more words were traded between them for the rest of that night. They had nothing more to say on the subject now that their adrenaline rush had faded. The two made their way to a small airstrip and met two other rangers. One was in the normal attire while the other wore piloting equipment. The pilot approached them and waved.

"Is that the wolf?" His mask muffled his voice, but not enough to make it illegible.

"Yeah, nearly got killed nabbing it." The youngest ranger exclaimed in frustration.

"Good, load it into the plane." Earnie attempted to load it, but the other ranger intercepted and did the task.

"Now, about the payment?" The young ranger rubbed his hands together, partially to warm them and partially to prove he was ready.

"Yes! Your payment." The pilot walked back to the plane and began digging into the passenger side. As he did so, the two rangers couldn't help the smile coming across their face. Everything had been working out and after they would go to their respective homes to get some well deserved sleep. This would never happen as a loud bang went off before echoing in the hanger. One thud later another bang was heard. The bodies of the rangers lied dead on the floor of the hanger. The pilot placed the pistol back into the cockpit and climbed into the plane. His associate was already inside and strapped in.

"Is it secure back there?"

"Yep..."

"Good..." The pilot flipped some switches before strapping himself in. The plane's propeller engine sputtered to life and the craft began moving. "Let's get the fuck out of here."


	2. 002

**Author Note:  
** Wow, I never realized how corny the classic version of this was. It makes me snicker just reading it, I can't believe I thought the story was _good!_ Anyways, here's the next chapter of this story, I hope you enjoy it and I apologize for the long wait time between chapters. I have a problem following schedules and my personal life has interrupted my work flow. That and I've been working on other stories, one for _Undertale_ that is called A Long Time Coming and a story for the web series _Red vs Blue_ that's called The Pursuit of Happiness.

* * *

 **Alpha and Omega**

 _ **The Twists of Fate**_

002

"What now?"

* * *

The pains from falling asleep in a metal box plagued one wolf when they awoke. The darkness inside their cage was disorienting and it had concerned the wolf. They didn't remember anything from the night prior, before waking up inside a cramped metal prison. This would be nerve racking for most and a nightmare for the claustrophobic kind. Fortunately, Humphrey is neither of claustrophobic or most people. That does not mean he wasn't frightened, for in fact he was. Due to Humphrey's unique nature, his reactions had always been out of the ordinary realm and this particular instance was no exception.

"Agh!" Humphrey had literally jumped into the ceiling of his cage head first. His impact had caused only the most minute of bends in the metal. "Ow." His groan was, much like himself, partially serious and partially for his own silliness. Humphrey's attention was pulled to the sudden stop and the jerk that resulted from it. Humphrey had lost his bearings and did not notice the soft thuds of footfalls nearby. He noticed others when he felt his surroundings, with him included, moved. The sound was horrendous and he couldn't put it to anything from his memories.

Humphrey felt himself impact something tough like he had been falling. He couldn't tell entirely, for his only view of the outside were the holes that allowed small specks of light to shine in, none of which had enough light to illuminate the container he was in. The whole ordeal was truly beginning to make him nauseous. Fortunately, he didn't need to wait any longer to escape his prison. The front of the cage had opened up and allowed an overwhelming amount of light to blind him.

Against his better judgment, Humphrey bolted outside and ran until he was out of breath. His abundance of luck was beginning to wane thin, yet it still had enough to save him from a painful fall. Humphrey had stopped just inches away from an incredibly steep cliff face. One that ended abruptly with flat grassy ground and some scattered pine trees. Despite the danger such a fall possessed, it had an attraction like no other, that being a breath taking view of the wilderness around him.

"Woah, it's so beautiful..." Humphrey gaze lingered on the view for mere seconds before dropping. The sudden drop off frightened him enough for him to leap back out of reaction. " _If I had fallen down there, who knows what I could have broken..._ " He took in his surroundings, the immediate ones before he sighed." _Well, I have no idea where I am, but I guess being certain I'm not in Jasper is kind of a good thing._ "

Humphrey began to explore the wilderness he was now in, for he would need to meet one of the locals. Humphrey had never left Jasper park in his life, so he would need someone's help to figure out how to return to his home. He considered many animals to be suitable for navigational directions, but the ones he did were very scarce when wolves were around. He needed to find something that traveled often, surely it would have knowledge on where he's at. Perhaps he had finally hit the jackpot because the before the wolf, standing not even a hundred feet away, were two birds.

One was a small, vibrant yellow, duck and the other was a small goose, this bird seemed to be overweight and unhealthy. Thinking about which bird to ask, he nearly attempted to waltz up to them when he remembered a crucial fact. Humphrey the wolf, _the wolf,_ was going to approach two birds. If he had the capability to do so, he would have smacked himself in the face because of the obvious stupidity it entailed. The birds would scatter like flies the second the recognized him. He would need a stealthy approach to get close. It was then that Humphrey envied the training that alphas received in stealth and stalking animals.

He kept his body as low as he physically could stand, which wasn't much shorter than he was. He slowed his pace down to a quarter of his normal gait. He kept his ears alert for anything and his eyes darted between the surrounding woods and the birds. If he was spotted, the ensuing chaos would alert the birds. If he didn't pay attention, they would fly off without him ever realizing it. He let loose a sigh before taking in a deep breath of air. He would have to be as quick as he could be if he was going to catch those birds.

He took note of three other wood land creatures beside the birds. The appeared to be watching with interest as the goose lifted of a wooden stick it held in its feathered wings. They were all to focused on whatever the goose was doing to pay attention to their surroundings. At least it would be somewhat easier than he had expected moments ago. He tensed his legs and narrowed his eyes before taking one last big breath of air.

Humphrey leaped from the cover the bushes provided. His exit caused lots of rustling from the leaves covering the bush. Before he was even halfway to the group of animals, one of them had turned towards the sound. It took a moment to register the wolf that was sprinting full speed towards them but eventually it did. It quickly screamed and shouted to the others before taking off and getting a head start on the others. He was more than halfway to them when the birds turned to see what had spooked the others. He was seventy-five percent of the way when they realized a wolf was rushing them.

The animals scattered or at least the porcupines did and the birds attempted to take off. The yellow duck got into the air just before Humphrey raced past where they had been mere seconds ago with the other bird. Speaking of the goose, they were still struggling to get high enough off the ground to be out of biting distance. Just before they could escape, Humphrey kicked off of the ground and grabbed the goose. His paws wrapped around the gooses legs and he was-surprisingly-carried off the ground. While it was strange, it wasn't the most pressing thing in Humphrey's mind as the goose was flying straight into a canopy from the trees. The fuck flew over and under branches as well as in between some, which unfortunately caused the wolf to crash and clatter through and against those very same branches.

On more than one occasion Humphrey found himself losing his grip on the bird. Thankfully the path the goose chose always allowed him to kick off a branch to get his grip again. Humphrey could hear the bird panting and he could see the disorganized flapping of their wings. It was ever so slight but it was noticeable and helped to make the bird difficult to hold on to. The bird wasn't done fighting for its life though, it still had enough fight left to try and get rid of the wolf again. The goose ducked out of the trees and slowed over a river, allowing the wolf's hind paws to skim the water surface.

The bird tried to steer the wolf into rocks that were jutting out of the water but thankfully Humphrey was agile enough to avoid them. Eventually Humphrey managed to get use to skimming the surface of the water and began handling it with ease, much to the displeasure of the goose. It decided the wolf no longer needed a bath and was going to try a new tactic. Very few animals can ward off wolves and even fewer can outright kill them in hunting packs. One of those animals was a moose and it was just a little further up the river, drinking water. The goose smirked internally before zooming towards it with the wolf in tow.

"Oh no, oh no, _oh no!_ " Humphrey said to himself, unaware that the bird had heard him too. The bird was tempted to fly straight and smack him into the rear of the moose. It would have ensured the wolf's death and set him free... _almost_. At the speed he was flying, the wolf would certainly startle the moose enough to put it into a murderous rage. Unfortunately, the rate the bird would ensure it would slam into the moose's antlers, something that would probably kill the bird or leave it too crippled to escape the moose. With a sigh, it almost went to pull away when it realized that the moose had huge antlers. If it could fly high enough, maybe it could impale the wolf on the antlers and escape!

The bird began huffing and puffing, exerting even more energy to drag the wolf even higher than before. It risked a glancing peak and saw it still wasn't high enough, the wolf would impact the back end of the moose and if it continued to hold on then the bird would probably impact the back. The bird began exerting all of its effort to pull higher and _higher_ until a satisfying thunk was heard. The bird glanced down, hope in its eyes but that hope was crushed when he saw the wolf had save its self by using its hind legs. The bird looked up and began flapping its wings harder than it ever had in its life, eventually puling the wolf off the antlers and dragging him further along. The birds behavior had become panicked and unpredictable as it made its final push to break away from the wolf clutching onto its legs. It wasn't too long before the bird finally collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.

The bird dropped to the ground and then began rolling before finally stopping and its wings splayed out. It was too tired to do anything else but breath. The wolf on the other hand had been thrown into a trash can nearby after the ordeal. It struggled to back out of the trash can on its own. When Humphrey had managed to pull himself out, the yellow duck was back and it was trying to wake its comrade. Humphrey stumbled over to the two ducks, his front legs were weak and wobbly from holding onto the goose the entire time. The duck didn't notice him until after he was right behind it and even then it jumped and let out a squeak of fright.

He simply sat on his rear and shook his head. The area was spinning a bit, perhaps another side effect from flying. He looked at the duck, who was shaking in their boots, and then the bird. The goose was still breathing heavily and lying on its back. He didn't blame them, he imagined it wouldn't be easy to carry something twice his size for as long as it did. In fact, just from holding on to the bird he wanted to collapse right along side it. He didn't have that luxury because he had something he needed to talk to them about.

"My name's Humphrey and yours?" His head gestured to the yellow duck. The duck in question raised an eye brow to him, he doing the same to it.

"P-Paddy..." The duck looked like it was ready to fly away at any moment but it was hesitant.

"Okay Paddy, I'm a wolf and I have no idea where I am... Can you see anything wrong with that?" Humphrey asked the duck in a friendly tone. The duck nodded and watched him carefully. "I'm not going to eat you or you friend here, I just need directions." The bird went to answer but they were cut off by a rather obnoxious voice.

"Directions? Well why didn't you just say so? We were under the impression you were going to eat us!" The voice belonged to the goose and they seemed to have somewhat recovered. They stood up and dusted themselves off with their wings before continuing. "Out of curiosity, why would a wolf need directions? Especially from a bird of all things?"

"Well, to make it short, I was captured by humans and when I woke up I was here." Humphrey looked around their surroundings to add emphasis to his point. "Where ever here is... all I know is that I'm not in Jasper anymore." The goose perked up when Humphrey mentioned Jasper, for if they were thinking of the same place then the goose might actually be able to help the wolf. While it might have been concerning how quick he was to aid the wolf, it could easily be written off as the quicker he aided the wolf the sooner he'd be safe to go about his life again.

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about a Jasper Park would you? One located in Canada?" The goose asked Humphrey, to which Humphrey nodded vigorously. "Well then maybe it's your lucky day because it just so happens you talking to two birds that love Jasper!"

"Wait, really?"

"Yes, in fact we've toured there many times." The yellow duck with added.

"So can you help me get back?" Humphrey asked the two birds before him. He felt a sinking feeling form in his stomach when he saw the two birds adopt a uneasy posture.

"Well... yes but-"

"It's complicated." The goose cut the yellow duck off, finishing for him.

"Yes, very."

"What? What do you mean it's complicated? You just need to show me the way and I can get back on my own." The feeling that had formed in his stomach had grown to become less ignorable.

"You don't know do you?" The goose asked, which caused Humphrey to look between the two birds.

"Know what? What's wrong?" This time it was the duck that answered Humphrey.

"Um, let's see... You are a wolf are you not?" The ducked asked Humphrey. When the wolf confirmed with a nod the duck continued. "Well, you see hunting season is going to start fairly soon. In under a weak actually, so if you were to attempt to get home right now-"

"You wouldn't be able to reach home before the hunting season officially began; therefore, you would be endangering our lives and your life as well." The goose explained after cutting the duck off again.

"... So what do I do? I need to get home..." His gut feeling had intensified but he paid it little heed as he become worried, on the verge of panicking. "I mean, I can't stay _here..._ It's dangerous and I don't even know how to hunt!"

"Calm down my furry friend, everything is going to be okay." The goose told him before looking to the duck and then back to Humphrey. "We can stay and help you out for a little less then a weak. After that you just need to ride out the winter before we come to get you."

"Wait, you mean you're only going to help me for a weak? That's so little time, I can't even learn how to hunt in that time."

"Well we would stay longer but with how cold it's going to get after hunting season, we just wouldn't be able to stand it. We'd freeze if we tried to stay." The duck said.

"S-so what do I do?" Humphrey asked the birds, desperation evident in his eyes.

"Well, you need to find a place to sleep because you can't stay out in the open." The goose said.

"What, like den?" Humphrey questioned.

"Exactly." The duck pipped in.

"You search along the ground level and we'll try to help you from the sky." The two birds flapped their wings and slowly started to take off from the ground. Humphrey watched them as they rose into the sky before starting his search.

"Um... okay..." He said before turning and walking into the nearby woods.

Humphrey didn't know how much territory he covered during the search. It was enough to makes his paws ache from overuse. He was sure the birds had covered far more ground than he had. That was assuming they actually didn't just fly off. Either way, the sun was setting and he had now home in the strange land he was taken to.

The trees blotted out the much of the natural light along with the mountains. The result was a unwelcoming blue shade that covered everything in sight. The normally chilly air had become cold, some might even say frosty. Even through his thick fur, Humphrey could feel the freezing cold beginning to creep into the forest. He had to find a some place to take shelter in-if only for the night. If he were to stay out in the open then the cold stood a good chance of killing him.

He forced himself back onto his aching paws and looked around. Nothing but trees for as far as his eyes could see. He randomly picked a direction to walk in and set off. His paws cried out with every step he took but he had to bare it. It was make or break and he was doubting if the birds had actually stayed around to help.

He climbed up a hill and glanced over his shoulder. He didn't see anything but the hairs on his neck stood. Perhaps it was colder than he initially thought. He shook his head and continued his trek, jumping at every sound he heard. It had never before sunk in just how lucky he was to be apart of a pack. Out there in unfamiliar territory and alone, it was frightening to him. If he was attacked then he wouldn't even be able to defend himself.

He crested the hill and saw he was at yet another cliff face. He subconsciously wondered why so many of things existed to make his life more difficult. Large cracks ran up it and rocks would stick out randomly. His eyes trailed on of the cracks the base, it looked a lot wider than the other ones. Upon closer inspection he uncovered the crack widened the further inside one traveled. He inspected it for a moment longer before coming to the conclusion it was just large enough to fit into. Was this what he thought it was, a cave?

He squeeze himself through the crack and found himself besieged on all sides by rock wall. He took a deep breath before pressing on into the cave. He wasn't claustrophobic in any sense but with how tight the path was, he was having trouble not worrying about getting stuck. He continued further into the cave and was tempted to turn back fairly early on. The little light that spilled in had disappeared and he found himself having to feel around in the darkness. Whether he was going to turn back or not didn't matter for Humphrey didn't have a choice after his first step into the complete darkness. He had somehow fallen off a drop off that he hadn't seen or expected.

Instead of a hard impact from colliding with the ground, Humphrey found himself slipping and sliding along something smooth. The sound of rushing air hit his ears and he quickly found himself spinning around on his stomach. It didn't take a genius for one to figure out he was picking up speed. Then, in an instant, he found himself in flying through the air. He landed with a heavy thud that knocked the air out of him.

He rolled around on the ground for a moment before cracking his eyes open. He was in a dimly lit cavern that held a green hue on all of the walls. Slowly, he pushed himself onto his paws before taking in his surroundings. Soft dirt, warm air, and some light source he couldn't find. His head snapped back and forth, looking for a way out of the cavern he was in. He couldn't see any obvious one that lead out of the place but there was another wall with a split in it. Where ever it lead to had more of the strange green light.

Humphrey's first instinct was to check for another path but even his keen eye sight could spot no such thing, not with how dark it was. He hesitated when he looked at the glowing green crevice. It was creepy and ominous, was that really the only way to go? A sigh escaped his lips as he slowly accepted what he had to do if he wanted to leave the cavern. He approached the opening with caution, unsure of what might be lurking away in a place like this. The glowing intensified as Humphrey rounded the corner, what ever was the source of light must have come from there.

He rounded the corner quickly, expecting to find some nightmarish ghoul. Imagine his surprise when he found a moderately large cave with glowing rocks jutting out of the ceiling. The area seemed to emit warmth, from where it came from he didn't know. He quickly found himself wandering into the center of the cave and staring at the mystical stones high above him. Something about them just seemed mesmerizing to look at.

"No." He shook his head, the stones were weird and he didn't like them. The feeling they put in him was foreign and he was sure he'd rather not face it again. He took note of another opening at the other end of the cave from where he had entered. This one seemed to have a dark blue hue. He made his way towards it, eager to avoid the strange room with the stones in the ceiling.

At the opening, he found the way blocked by loose dirt. It seemed to be covering the entrance like a spider's web. Fortunately, the young wolf feared no spider in existence and had no problem with shredding the filth blanketing the way. The dirt caked onto his paws and legs as he shoveled it out of the way. It didn't take long before he realized grass and plant life was being pulled into the cave with the dirt.

" _Wait... does this lead out of here?_ " Humphrey wondered before renewing his digging efforts. He muscled through the rest of the blockage and found himself staring through a wide crack in the ground. He could see tress in the distance and he could see flowers every where around the entrance and it was dark out. Unfortunately, the crack was much too small for him to squeeze through this time around. " _Maybe I can't squeeze through it but this is all soft dirt..._ " Humphrey wasted no time in pawing a the crack again.

Chunks of dirt fell off with but even so, Humphrey's digging did little to the actual crack itself. By the time he had stopped to take a breather, the crack had barely widened by a centimeter. He growled out before ramming into it in frustration. He was never going to get out if he just kept pawing at it. The sound of crunching reached his ears and his head snapped to the crack. He had made a spider web pattern crack in the ground barring his escape. It took a moment for Humphrey to realize what it meant.

He threw himself at the wall again, causing more cracks. He growled and did so again, making even more cracks appear. He was so close to freedom that he could practically taste it. He backed up and took a deep breath before steeling his nerves. He then charged straight forward before clashing with the wall.

The wall itself crumbled from the force. His constant battering had weakened it to the point that he could best it. Most of the wall collapsed into piles of loose dirt with the rare tough clumps of packed dirt. Dust was kicked up from the collapsed and was quickly sucked into the wolf. Said wolf began coughing and hacking like there was no tomorrow. It was quite the comical sight to see but eventually the dust settled and he calmed down.

Outside was a different place then he'd been expecting. Clouds covered the sky and nearly blotted out the moon. The trees seemed unnaturally quiet and Humphrey began to silently regret knocking down the wall. This place was weird, _really weird_ , and he doubted the birds were still flying in the sky at this time. What was he thinking he should've just stayed in the cave until day break. He slowly backed away from the entrance and back into cave. Once inside he quickly buried the entrance with the dirt he had unearthed.

Once finished he exited the green room and went back into the room he originally landed in. There he plopped down and allowed a sigh of frustration escape his lips. He was no alone in a creepy cave in the middle of a creepy forest that seemed like it wanted to eat him at night. He was in quite the predicament wasn't here. Alone in the cave, he allowed himself and his thoughts to wander.

What where the guys doing while he was gone? What was _Kate_ doing right now? Had any of them noticed he was gone? Did any of them know where he was at? The more he thought about, the more he realized he was in a bad situation. He couldn't do anything now though, he wasn't going out into the creepy woods at night time. So that only left one option for him, to stay in the cave until at least morning.

With nothing else to do, he couldn't help but wonder something.

"What now?"


	3. 003

**Responding to Comments:**

(Guest 01): Wow, thank you for the support. I apologize for making you wait so long-hopefully this new chapter will satisfy you.

* * *

 **Alpha and Omega  
**

 _ **The Twists of Fate**_

003

" _Increased Hostilities_ "

* * *

Winter was almost over in Sawtooth National Park. The frost that had once blanketed the park had begun to melt away. Leaves were returning to trees and rivers were unfreezing. It was a good time to be in Sawtooth Park, especially if you were a herbivore that use to live there. One herbivore in particular was the native caribou population. Sanctions had been placed on it to prevent hunters from taking too many of them, allowing them the ability to walk out in the open to feed. Of course, there were still threats to the caribou besides hunters.

Wolves had started appearing in the park as well. At first they were no problem for the caribou to handle. They were typically lone wolves looking for a quick meal but as more and more of them were attracted by the growing numbers of the plant eaters, it became steadily more difficult. Some of the wolves formed a make shift pack and began to attack the caribou. While largely unsuccessful, it was enough for the caribou to remember to keep on their toes.

It was because of the aforementioned reasons that one caribou stood still by a river. It had originally gone for some water from the clean stream. Shortly after the sound of twigs snapping and leaves rustling arrived. The initial ones had been passed off as paranoia but as the persisted, the herbivore became increasingly wary. It was alone and a pack of wolves would be more than enough to take it down should they get the jump on it.

It started backing away from the bush it laster heard the sound from. The further away it got the more it felt like running away. The only thing that stopped them was the rustling from the bush it had backed towards. It quickly spun around and start backing away from it while trying to keep both bushes in its sights. It was tempted to make a mad dash into the woods when the sound of twigs snapping caught it's attention. It craned its neck around and its eyes widened in fear.

Three wolves were slowly coming out from the tree line. That way was off limits to fleeing but that left only the bushes, which held suspicious rustling, or the river. It didn't have too long to think as one of the wolves snapped their jaws at it. It back peddled to the river without realizing it, too focused on the trio of predators before it. The sound of rustling reached its ears again and from both sides emerged another wolf-making five in total. The lead one in the center curled its lips back and showed it's large and intimidating fangs. A terrible snarl ripped from its throats as the rest followed suit.

The wolves then initiated their attack on the caribou. One approached quickly from the front but stopped just short of striking distance when the caribou reared back. One from the far left closed in but the caribou's eyes were too keen. It turned it's horns to it and tried to thrust them into the wolf. With great agility it leaped back and before snapping its jaws and nearly nicking the caribou.

The herbivore attempted to rear onto its hind legs and kick the wolf. Such a blow would have been fatal to their fragile frames. The sinking of claws and teeth into its back distracted it though. It dropped back down and began thrashing about, trying to throw off the other wolf it had forgotten to keep its eyes on. The first two capitalized and took nips where they could, all while avoid the kicking hooves of the animal. It managed to throw the first wolf off its back before another leaped on in its place. This one was thrown off quicker but it had served its purpose.

The lead wolf that had been watching it all had made its move. It had waited for the the right opening before attacking. It clamped down hard on the caribou's neck, crushing its trachea. The wolves that had been thrown off immediately returned and began tearing at it and pinning it down. To its credit, the caribou fought until it couldn't move its legs anymore. When the body went still the lead wolf took no chances. A sickening tear emanated from the throat when he tore it out and the smell of iron filled the air.

If the caribou wasn't dead prior to the mutilation then that would've killed it. Two of the wolves then began to drag the caribou away and left the lead wolf with the other two that had attempted to flank the caribou. They waited until the others were out of sight before doing anything. The lead wolf, black and gray in color, turned to them and cleared its throat. The other two, smaller, wolves had expected a tongue lashing of sorts from it but this wolf had never fit anyone's expectations.

"The two of you did well this time, not bad for your first hunt." He told them. Their looks of confusion soon morphed into joy upon hearing his appraisal. "I think you're going to make great hunters in the future." He said once more, earning huge smiles from the wolves. "However..." Their smiles turned from genuine to nervous.

"Kite, you were sloppy when you approached and the caribou spotted you." The young wolf gulped and nodded in understanding. "Alexia, you alerted the caribou to early and it nearly fled. Kite wouldn't have been able to handle it one his own, you need to be more cautious in the future." He told the other young wolf. They too nodded in both respect for the wolf's advice and also in appreciation from the correction. "Alright, now both of you go and help haul the kill back."

Once more they nodded before glancing to one another. They didn't hesitate to follow their leader's orders and quickly left. The black and gray wolf waited for a moment to ensure they were out of hearing range. He let out a breath of air before cracking a smile. His ear twitched as he caught the faintest sound of something.

"You can come out you now, they're gone." He said out loud to seemingly no one.

"How did you notice me?" A voice wined out from the bush one of the younger wolves had been hiding in. The sound of rustling came from it until a wolf strutted out. It's fur color auburn and it's underbelly cream colored, the beautiful colored wolf padded up to him. "How did you you get to be this good Humphrey?" The wolf asked while leaning onto him.

"Lot's of practice and the need to survive." He replied to the wolf.

"That's not what I meant~" The wolf whispered into his ear. He felt his cheeks blush and had it not been for his dark coat, it would've shown.

"Decka, you know the rules about couples." Humphrey commented dryly to the she wolf. How many times did he need to remind her of that?

"Aw-but you look so handsome right now. All of that delicious blood dripping off your chin, only makes you look more masculine." She purred into his ear.

"Decka, Slash would kill me if he ever found out we did it." Humphrey chuckled-such a thing would never happen because he had no intentions of getting it on. He was young and in his prime, last thing he needed was a fight over some tail.

"Slash doesn't have to know you know." She said before circling back around and heading towards where the wolves had dragged the carcass. Humphrey watched her intently as she walked away and she noticed him. She lifted her tail and shimmied her hips for a moment, teasing him, before breaking off into a run. After seeing her tease him, Humphrey let out a pitiful whimper. She might not have been there to hear him but he did so.

He slowly began walking in the same direction she had fled. There wasn't a moment more that he had cursed Slash in his time with them. He had a hot piece of ass standing right there in front of him-teasing him at every turn. He couldn't touch it though, he couldn't so much as indulge even a little. Slash had set up a rule that only the head alphas in the pack could get together and mate.

The idea was that only the strongest would bare off-spring. This in turn would lead to stronger wolves in the pack and a stronger pack in the future. If others got together than that would eventually lead to them indulging in their pleasures. Indulging in their pleasures would eventually lead to a litter of pups. A litter of pups not born from the strongest in the pack would weaken the pack in the future. Those that did have accidental litters had to leave the back or abandon the litters. Not the best outcome but a fair one-he always made sure to drill it into new comers heads, no one could say he didn't warn them.

Even so, that wolf was making Humphrey's life difficult. She wasn't hard to look at and if he could be honest about it-the only thing preventing him from giving in was the law of the pack. That and she was the youngest of three alphas, Slash being her oldest brother and her other brother's having their own packs. With those deterrents in place, Humphrey was forced to sit on the side lines and endure everything she threw at him. He truly did live in a cruel and unusual world, didn't he?

He shook his head before chasing after the wolf. He had only stayed there because he had an image to save. Two of the hunting party were fresh from learning and rumors about him seeing the pack leader's sister wasn't something he needed. He had worked hard to earn his position as the lead hunter, he'd be damned if rumors were going to jeopardize his position. They were both heading in the same direction though, the hunting party couldn't be too far ahead of them.

It wasn't too long until he found himself trotting beside her. They didn't speak to each other but a nod was exchanged and sly look from her. Humphrey had to wonder whether heat was responsible for her advances, he couldn't think of any sensible female doing what she did. Then again, he didn't exactly know too many females that had been interested in him. There was Decka, that one girl he never caught the name of, and there was Kate.

" _Kate..._ " The name had stirred unwanted feelings in him. She was a reminder of everything that was wrong with him from when he was part of the Jasper Pack. He remembered of how head over heels he was for her when he first arrived. He had to admit how corny and pathetic he found himself then. The one thing he disliked most about himself from then? How completely and utterly helpless he was when it came to survival.

He didn't know how to hunt when he first arrived, didn't know how to mark territory when he arrived, and he didn't even realize one was supposed to make their own den! He had quickly learned his survival lessons since being stranded but joining the pack helped him immensely. Should he be honest about it, he preferred the laws of this pack to his old one. There was no class system between wolves-no wolf got specially trained, no wolf was left weak and defenseless. Sure relationships weren't allowed _inside_ of the pack but if one wanted one then they were more than welcomed to begin there own.

He found that with the skills he was taught, he never had to go hungry again-so long as he shared. He learned that hunters, especially head hunters, don't have to wait last. He wasn't forced to eat whatever was left over-the food no one wanted. It was like everyone was brother and sister in the pack, everyone was family too each other. Maybe all of that was reason why he was feeling better about himself.

" _Or maybe it's just because these old wounds have turned to scars and begun fading._ " He thought to himself. The wolf had been so engaged in his own mind that he never noticed Decka stop beside him, so when she bit his tail to stop him he let out a yelp.

"The hell Decka?" He growled out to her.

"Sh, some thing's going down." She whispered before cautiously passing him. Humphrey followed her with his eyes before his ears too picked up on what she was hearing. Growling and faint talking was coming from up ahead. He quickly moved to follow her and he soon found himself peaking over a ridge. Over the ridge and in his sights was the cause of the commotion-six wolves from a separate pack. They were circling the hunting party like vultures in the sky.

"Woah, woah, woah. You don't need to be so hostile-we're all friends here." One of the assailants said. He was a beige colored wolf and seemed to be the largest of the six. "I'm sure if you're not willing to pay the price for your hunt that we can work something out." His voice was gruff and raspy and gave away clear indications that strings were attached.

"I told you once before and I'll tell you again. It will never happen scruffy." One of the hunting party told him. Grayish blue colored wolf with a light gray under belly-Sam. When Humphrey wasn't there, she was the default party leader among them.

"Oh, see-I'm trying to be reasonable here. You're just too stubborn to see it, please. Just take the deal and we all walk away happy-"

"Except for the fact were Slash takes our hides for agreeing to such low ball deal." Sam growled at him, not intimidated by his larger size. "You know, you got a lot of nerve coming into our territory and demanding a piece of our hunt." Humphrey's eyes shot opened at the revelation-how long had this been going on? "So why don't you take your little crew and skit on outta here flea bag, work off them pounds and earn your catch-" She had to jump back been the wolf in question snapped his jaws at her.

"You know, I like to think of myself as a flexible person. I have a whole lot of patience for those who just can't see the deal they're getting..." He started to reign himself back in before slowly pacing around the group. "... but..." He added as he finished his circle around them.

" _but_ what?" Sam pried, having tired of him stalling and wasting their time.

"... but I just can't abide by your blatant disrespect." He turned stared her down, his eyes hardening and becoming cold. All hint of mirth or mischief having disappeared-it was jarring to say the least. "However, there is a difference between disrespect and ignorance." He told the hunting party, the wolves that came with him tensing on reflex. "Sick 'em boys." The wolves that had been with him began getting closer, forcing the hunting party to back into one another. Things were getting hectic, Humphrey needed to step in before one of his pack members get hurt.

"Hey assholes!" The head of every wolf there snapped to the source of the sound. It was Decka standing on an outcropping rock. She waisted no time in jumping down to their level and approaching the head of the group. "Why don't you back off dick lick before trouble starts?" Whatever effect she had was lost on the large wolf that practically dwarfed her.

"Heh, calm didn't little bird. Why don't _you_ run along before trouble breaks out? I'd hate to see a pretty little face like yours get scarred up." He cooed to her with a unwelcoming grin on his face. Fortunately, she wasn't one to retreat at appearances-so she sent it right back.

"Well at least there's one thing we agree on." She cooed to him.

"Oh and that is?" His grin disappeared into an amused look.

"That if we fought, I'd be the one coming out of it alive." Everything was silent after she said that. The beige wolf seemed to freeze in place before an ear splitting grin spread across his face. Then, like something straight out of a work of fiction, he begun to enter into a fit of giggles that quickly morphed into hysterical laughter. He eventually recovered and reigned it back into small bursts of giggles.

"Oh that's rich, what's next-you and the rest of the small fry are gonna kill us?" He asked condescendingly to her, calling her statement a bluff. She would have responded but yet another surprise participant spoke up.

"No but I might if you keep this up." The wolves once again found themselves craning their heads to see the new arrival. It was a wolf, black and gray in coloring, that was much larger than the wolves they'd surrounded. It took only a moment for their leader to realize it was the head of the hunting pack-Humphrey. He too made his way down to the rest of the wolves before striding past them up to the leader.

"Humphrey." He said, attempting to sound civil with him. Both wolves were close to the same size and both had made a name for themselves. It would be wise of him not to take Humphrey as lightly as the others.

"Orion..." Humphrey said with the same tone of voice.

"It's a lovely day we're having isn't it-"

"Cut the crap Orion, I heard what you were saying." The rival wolf narrowed his eyes at the hunting lead.

"Well, you know our game then... so what's it gonna be?" The two entered a stare off, it wasn't the time or place to show weakness in front of the enemy.

"I think... that we're all gonna leave and go home-that this is all gonna be forgotten. Wouldn't want an incident to occur that might cause a war, now would we? Not over something as simple as some caribou meat." Humphrey told the other wolf with a certain undertone.

What Humphrey said was technically correct, it would be stupid to start a war over some caribou meat. Something more likely would be severe punishment of those involved in the incident. Then again, with the enemy clan he was facing-there was no telling. They were a bunch of pure breed wolves, or they claimed that. To Humphrey they were just a bunch of inbreds with psyche problems. With tensions so high though, this incident might be the spark they were waiting for to spark the powder keg.

"Hmmm... you may be right..." Orion pondered to himself before bringing up a problem. "What would you have me do about the hungry pack of wolves we have at home?"

"Well that sounds like a problem to discuss on another day." Humphrey said calmly to him, not trying to be dragged back into the mental mind game again.

Humphrey turned to the hunting party and nodded to them. The wolves warily looked to those surrounding them before grabbing the caribou carcass. They were still uneasy around the other wolves after they threatened to attack. The cautiously existed the ring that had formed around them with their kill, yet did so with unexpected haste. They had already made it over the hill before Humphrey and the enemy wolf broke their stare downs-Humphrey ending his with a small smile.

The hunt lead and she wolf quickly followed after their pack members. The rival wolves watching them until they disappeared. Though Humphrey and Decka had appeared stoic and even smug, both were relieved to be out of the situation. It wasn't the first time wolves from that pack had attempted some sort of extortion with their hunting parties. When Humphrey's pack had first moved into Sawtooth, they found that pack near the edge of their newly founded territory.

A debate over borders occurred and a conflict quickly followed. Humphrey and the pack he joined emerged victorious but that only created bitterness from the enemy pack. From what Humphrey overheard from pack leader, Slash, it wasn't their entire pack that they fought-just a small branch of the original one. His words didn't have much effect on him then, they had won-why would they? Now though, seeing the huge numbers in their hunting packs-he was growing concerned. If they could afford to send so many of their wolves, all which were abnormally large, how many did they hold back in the center of their territory? Whatever the case was, they were still small enough to be reluctant about the idea of another conflict between packs.

"Geeze, that was intense-huh Humphrey?" One of the female wolves had asked him. He turned and realized it was Decka _again._ He really did need to get more friends, didn't he?

"Yeah, for a moment there I was worried we couldn't bluff our way out of there."

"Wait, what do you mean bluffing?" Decka asked, underlying tones of offense being detectable.

"Come on Decka, let's be honest here." He started to tell her, his face becoming serious. "Even if we really wanted to..." He stared into her eyes before cracking a grin. "We wouldn't have been able to hold back, they'd be sent running with their tail between their legs." Decka knocked into him when she busted up laughing. Strangely enough, Humphrey couldn't stop the laughter that came from him either.

"Humphrey, how do you always manage to make me laugh?" She asked him between fits of giggles.

"Hey, when you lived most of your life as a Omega-you pick up a few things." He tells her between his laughter.

"Wait, really? You were an Omega before all of this?"

"Yeah but that was a long time ago." Humphrey admitted, his giggles starting to die down. Suddenly Humphrey felt something on the back of his head and when he looked up, he was mildly surprised to see Decka resting her head on his. "Decka, you remembered what I told you right?" The wolf in question just sighed while keeping pace with him. Humphrey had to question how she managed to even accomplish he position given the height difference between them.

"Humphrey, everything about you just seems so... so... perfect!" She told him before letting her head slide off of his. Hearing her proclamation cause him to chuckle.

"Believe me Decka, I'm far from perfect-"

"See? You're modest, brave, funny!" She told him, briefly pausing before continuing on with her list. "You're so skilled in a hunt that Slash made you the head of every hunt, you're practically their leader now..." She semi-fawned over him, causing him to roll his eyes-she liked flattering him. "... plus you're not hard to look at either." She says off handedly to herself but Humphrey managed to hear her compliment.

He shook his head and focused on the journey back...


	4. 004

.

 **Alpha and Omega**

 _ **The Twists of Fate**_

004

" _Starting a Fire_ "

* * *

Humphrey approached the area where all of the pack members lived. He liked to call it the area _the dens_ but it never seemed to catch on. He could see why though, it wasn't exactly catchy but it was quicker then specifying which den they were going to. It wasn't a bustling location with hordes of wolves everywhere. A few wolves were lallygagging about the place but nothing intense, not like human cities.

"Hello Humphrey." A random pack member said to him in passing. Humphrey nodded to them, showing he heard their gesture.

It had been a day since the incident with the Dire wolves. When he had returned with the hunting party, he reported to Slash immediately. The wolf had been furious upon learning of the Dire wolves' incursions on their territory. He had made announcements shortly after, calling for patrols to double their numbers should another incursion happen. Maybe that was why the village was so quiet while he was strolling through it.

As fate would have it, he had asked for Humphrey to spear head the patrols. Humphrey agreed to do so without question, Slash wouldn't have chosen him if he thought he couldn't handle it. A strong and able pack seemed to be the top of his priority list. Imagine Humphrey's surprise when he was on patrol and a random wolf approached him and told him Slash wanted to speak with him. He had to leave his patrol short handed-not the best thing to do if they really were expecting an attack.

So here he was, moving through the dens and right in front of the Alpha den...

"I guess I better stop dragging my feet then." Humphrey mumbled to himself before entering the den.

"Humphrey, good to see you got my message." He could here Slash's voice echo out from somewhere near the back of the den.

"Yeah, I came here right away." Humphrey replied as he entered further into the den.

"Humphrey, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." He heard his pack leader's voice call from around the corner. Humphrey wasted no time and rounded it and found a small room in the back of the den. There Slash was sitting, just behind a ray of light shining down from the ceiling, illuminating the small room. "Come, sit Humphrey." Humphrey did as he was told and sat just short of the beam of light.

"Not to be rude Slash but my patrol is one man short-"

"I understand Humphrey." The wolf told him before pausing, as if thinking over his next words. "Humphrey, I was thinking about your recounting of yesterday." He admitted to the lower ranking wolf. "You told me a lot of things yesterday and I believe you. I've grown to trust you Humphrey and a pack is nothing without trust in each other. Wouldn't you agree Humphrey?" The wolf told him before getting to its feet and stretching.

"Yeah..." Humphrey said cautiously, suspicion growing in his mind as to why he was even there. The wolf had started to pace around the room they were in.

"Well, you see, as pack leader-it's my duty to make sure this is enforced." He confessed to Humphrey, causing concern to sprout inside of him. "... so imagine my surprise when I interrogated the others and found that certain stories to match up." Slash allowed a raspy chuckle to escape his lips and Humphrey felt himself tense. "Do you understand what I'm getting at Humphrey?"

"Yes sir, I think I do." Humphrey almost droned out from countless practices. It wasn't the first time he endured a session with Slash, hopefully it wouldn't be his last.

"I find it strange how you omitted Decka's involvement there when all other accounts mention her being there." The pack leader pass by Humphrey in his pacing around the room.

"Sir, I can explain-"

"Then there was the part about you staying behind while the others pressed forward. _They should have never been left alone **Humphrey.**_ " Slash told him, irritation in his voice growing.

"Sir, if I could just-"

"What were you doing Humphrey? What was so important that leaving them alone with the kill was justified? Why didn't you mention Decka in your report?" He fire off his questions like a machine gun and Humphrey was having trouble figuring out which to answer first. "You're my favorite Humphrey but that doesn't give you permission to lie to my face and it certainly doesn't give you permission to see my little sister behind my back."

"Wait, how did you-"

"I'm not as blind as the others Humphrey, I wouldn't be pack leader if I was." The wolf finally stopped his pacing and turned towards Humphrey, his eyes hard as stone. "Don't let it happen again Humphrey, you got a could thing going for you-the last thing you need is to fuck it over." Humphrey stared at the ground in silence, not bothering to meet his pack leader's eyes.

"Sorry sir."

"Just get out." The leader told him before turning his back to him. Humphrey didn't need to be told twice to leave. He quickly exited the den, not wanting to be in his presence any longer than needed. He didn't know how Slash did it but the wolf always found a way to put intimidation into him. Anyways, he was just glad to be out of the wolf's home. It was going to take some work to patch things back up with the leader.

Humphrey was going to head back to were his pack would be; however, the sight of some pups playing caught his attention. Five of them, one black, two gray, and two white. Given the law of the pack, he automatically knew who's pups they were. Even so, that didn't stop him from walking up and talking to them. They were wrestling with each other and had been teaming up on the black one.

"Hey there little fellas, what's going on?" He said in the friendliest tone he had.

"We're wrestling to see who's the best." One of the white pups told him.

"Well don't you think it's a bit unfair to team up on your brother here?" Humphrey said while gesturing to the black wolf. The other's didn't seem to understand what he was getting at, so he tried a different tactic. "How about this, why don't you take some time off to try another game? I'm sure I would get tired if everyone went for me when I played a game." He said and while some of them finally understood his meaning, the rest just seemed excited over the prospect of a new game.

"Wow... what is it?" They fervently asked, tails wagging in a comical way.

"Well, you need a few sticks and you needs some berried too." He explained. "Then you have one person throw the berry at the person with the stick. The one with the stick tries to hit the berry with the stick and see how far it goes."

After he finished the puppies bolted off in search of berry and stick. He almost wanted to laugh at how enthusiastic they were. They sight of their little forms running off at full speed was very cute. Humphrey decided he had lagged long enough and that he needed to head back if he wanted to meet up with his patrol. When a voice called out to him he cursed under his breath.

"Humphrey." He turned his head and found himself staring at Elizabeth, mate of Slash and mother of the pups he was just talking to.

"Hello Elizabeth." He said, bowing his head to her in a show of respect.

"What brings you here Humphrey?" She inquired, walking closer to the hunt lead.

"Slash, he needed to discuss something." Humphrey cracked a smile when he said so. If it were his attempt and waving it off then it failed miserably.

"Hopefully he wasn't too hard on you."

"Yeah, thankfully he wasn't." Humphrey explained.

"So what did you talk to the pups about? I haven't seen them that excited in ages." She confessed.

"Ah, well I told them about a game me and my omega pals use to play together." Humphrey told her, earning a raised eye brow. "Don't be worried, it's nothing dangerous. They get a stick, some berries, and try to hit the berry as far as they can."

"I thought they were happy with wrestling with one another."

"Yeah they were but they kept ganging up on the black one-"

"Damien."

"Yeah, him, so I told them about a game were that kind of thing wouldn't happen." Silence ensued and both Humphrey and Elizabeth looked to where the pups had run off. "Who would have thought the stoic and tough hunt lead with be good with kids." She said, causing Humphrey to turn to her.

"Well you and Slash both know my background more than anyone." Humphrey replied.

"Yeah, we do." She told herself before walking towards the direction the pups had left in. She wanted to be sure they didn't hurt themselves. "Goodbye Humphrey, good luck with your patrolling." She said before breaking out into a run to catch up to her pups. Humphrey sat there for a moment-a confused expression on his face.

"Patrolling?... Oh crap! My patrol!" Humphrey snapped into focus and began sprinting off to the spot he could meet them. He hoped he hadn't run late, he'd have try and catch up if that was the case

He zipped through the forest on his way to the point. It was a large river with a tree log spanning the width of it. He would cross the log and make it to the other side where the others would be approaching. It wasn't too far away and if he hurried he could catch it. Even so, he internally scolded himself for getting distracted so easily. His only explanation was that it might have been piece of his mind set left over from when he was just a goof ball.

Do not misunderstand his internal reasoning though. He was still a goofy person but there was more to him than that. The old him was a liability for the most part, he needed to focus now in life. Being easily distracted could get him or others hurt. He guess he would say he grew up since having to fend for himself. The thought of that being the case though was ironic. He himself wasn't that old either, less than four summers old if one was curious.

Humphrey found himself waiting at the meeting point. The sun was high in the sky and although there was a cool breeze in the valley, the heat was getting annoying. Not too many people realize the darker color of fur, the quicker one gets hot. He had arrived way quicker than he had expected to arrive, meaning he would have to wait for some time until his patrol arrived. Perhaps he should have hung around the dens for a bit longer.

Some birds had started to circle in the sky above his head. He couldn't make their size out too well because of the sun blinding any who looked towards them. Even so, the occasional sound of wing flapping kept pulling on his attention back into the sky-to those damn birds. Humphrey humored the idea of shouting at them to shoo the away but he ultimately dismissed it. The birds probably wouldn't be effected by his shouts and he would just make himself look like a fool.

"Hello, you wouldn't happen to be named Humphrey would you?" A voice said from behind him, which made Humphrey spring to his feet and flip around immediately. There sat a yellow a bird on the ground, staring at him and expecting an answer. "Well?" Humphrey shook his head to try and clear it. He had to be seeing things, a duck wouldn't really be standing there _on ground level_ asking him a question. "We don't have all day you know."

" _Wait a minute... I know that accent..._ " Humphrey thought, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. It couldn't be those birds from a year ago. They had disappeared after the incident before winter-there's no way they'd come back and try to actually find him. That would be just plain dumb of any animal. "You... you're not that bird from before winter... are you?"

"As a matter of fact I am, the name's Paddy by the way." The duck did some sort of bow in front of Humphrey. "We're here because we made a promise to you, if you couldn't guess then Marcel is in the sky still. He was under the impression that coming back was a bad idea but what is a gentlemen without his word?"

"You're kidding right? You abandon me while I was my most vulnerable!" He told them, raising his voice slightly from agitation.

"Wrong, we found a den but by the time we had you had disappeared. We couldn't find you and you already know about our strict schedule while on tour." Humphrey fell into silence for a moment, trying to recall what they had agreed to.

"So, what exactly was the deal we made?"

"To get you back to Jasper Park of course, to you friends and family!" The duck said with a merry tone in his speech. It wouldn't have had more effect had a goose not dropped from the sky right next to them. The goose, still overweight as ever, panted and wheezed from its spot on the ground-this was Marcel. Humphrey raised and eye brow at the goose who remained on the ground staring up the wolf and the duck.

"I don't know about that..." Humphrey said to Paddy.

"Oh... What has made you change your mind?" The duck inquired.

"Well, I've kind of found a place to call home here... maybe even more so than Jasper." He said quietly.

"Oh, well I understand." Paddy told him before nudging Marcel in his ribs to get up. "Even so, if you should change your mind later-we won't be leaving until the train passes through. You can find us near the tracks when the sun starts to set." Paddy told him before taking to flight, Marcel following shortly behind him. Humphrey was left in his thoughts until the sound of talking reached his ears. It looks like his patrol had taken the liberty of dragging their feet...

 **xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx**

Humphrey could be found staring at his reflection in the water of a large stream that ran down the mountain. The sun was starting to set and Humphrey knew he was running out of time for his decision. He could take their offer and go back to Jasper or he could choose to stay in Sawtooth. In his mind both decisions were one way and didn't have the option of going back. His ears picked up the sound of rustling from a nearby bush. His head snapped to it and he focused on listening. Everything quickly turned silent with only the sound of the wind in the background.

"Rawr!" Humphrey had nearly jumped out of his skin. The voice had come right beside his ear. When he flipped around to confront whoever had sneaked up on him he saw a friend. Decka was sitting directly behind where he had been. She had tried and failed to hide a grin on her face behind her paw.

"Jeeze Decka, you nearly gave me a heart attack." Humphrey admitted, not really caring how she managed to get behind him without him noticing.

"Humphrey, what are you doing out here?" Decka asked with a smile.

"I could ask you the same thing." Humphrey returned said smile. "I'm just thinking Decka, that's all." He admitted to her.

"About what?" She pried.

"Ah well..." He trailed off, unsure of whether or not to inform her over his current situation. On one hand, he'd be getting a second opinion on the situation, possibly breaking up the stalemate in his mind. On the other hand, if Decka was really against the idea-she could be horrified that he'd even consider such a thing. To keep it in and let it eat at him from the inside or get a second opinion, under the risk of ruining the friendship. Humphrey chose to take the risk before he did something he'd regret.

"Decka, do you remember when I first joined the pack, how I was a lone wolf?"

"Yeah." Decka nodded.

"Well, I wasn't always a lone wolf-I had a pack before all of this." Humphrey explained, earning a curious glance from Decka. "I had made a deal with these two animals for them to guide me back."

"Humphrey, what are you saying?" Decka asked as the look of curiosity morphed into concern. "You're not actually thinking of abandoning us, are you?"

"No-god no... It's just, if I don't take this opportunity then I'll never be able to see my old friends again... I'm torn..." He confessed in a moment of weakness. He felt shame well up and his cheeks burn in response.

"Humphrey... Why not go and then come back?" Decka suggested.

"Wait what?" Humphrey said, surprised.

"Yeah, go there and see how the place is but then head back." Decka elaborated. For a moment, Humphrey frowned to himself-how come he hadn't thought of that? Then something popped up, how would he exactly get back here from Jasper?

"Decka, I like the idea but-"

"Just make a map in your head to follow when you need to get home." Decka explained, somehow already knowing his line of thought.

"I... guess that could work but what about Slash? I'm not so sure he'd be thrilled with my sudden departure." Decka rolled her eyes at Humphrey comment. For someone so talented he still had moments of silliness. It should have been obvious that with her suggesting the idea to him, she would handle it.

"Well, that is a predicament huh? It's not like you know anyone of relation to the pack leader huh?" She mused out loud. That seemed to do the trick as she could see Humphrey's eyes light up.

"You mean you'll handle Slash?" She nodded to Humphrey which made his face brighten. "Oh my god, thank you Decka-I owe you!" He said as he started to walk past her, only to stop and tell her about the meeting point. "I'm going to be catching the train on my way there-near the northern part of the territory. If there's anything you need of me before I go, you can catch me there." He finished before breaking off into a full blown sprint to the train tracks.

As he ran off, Decka couldn't help but smile at the goof ball she'd learned to call her best friend. She shook her head before turning to start walking back to the pack. She had enough time to walk there before seeing Humphrey off. She couldn't deny the fact that she was slightly concerned about her friend. She had concerns whether he would make it to his childhood home in one piece, whether he would be able to find his way back and whether he would even arrive there in the first place-should the animals he talked about even be right.

In any case, she would have to put faith in him-she had already convinced him to go. Then again, such a thing was more for him than for her. She could see it in his eyes before he even told her. Something had been eating at him and he needed to get over it. The scent of iron wafted into her nose and she looked around. Some unseen predator had made a kill and she was catching the smell of it. It was probably upwind given how she hadn't hear any commotion.

Slash, her older brother, certainly wasn't going to be happy about Humphrey bailing just before the bulk of their hunting started. Prey was becoming far more plentiful now that winter was passing and the idea of the packs lead hunter disappearing because of homesickness? She could practically hear him chewing her out over encouraging him to see his home. In any case, this was were she was and she had to see it through. She would convince Slash forgive Humphrey should he get too upset over it.

The scent of blood had gotten stronger since she first noticed it. Perhaps she was getting close to wear the predator had dragged its kill. Well, she had a load of problems to deal with and it would have been best for her not to drag her feet any longer than she had. She needed to hear their plan for tensions with the Dire pack and needed to inform Slash their lead hunter was on vacation for a bit. A suitable replacement needed to be found and he would probably make her do it as a punishment. Of course, that is assuming he's fine with Humphrey leaving the pack to see his home.

She sneezed when an overpower scent invaded her nose. The blood smell had gotten strong, extremely strong-which meant something was dead near by. She stopped and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Any other predator would have heard her coming and moved the kill, so what was going on with this one? She sniffed the air again and tried not to involuntarily cringe at the overwhelming scent. The smell was coming from behind a bush directly ahead of her.

She approached the bush with caution, for she never knew when another animal could strike. The stench of blood had absolutely drenched the bush. She decided on walking around it rather than going straight through it, such a thing would be reckless anyways. When she did circle to the back she found something shocking. The stench of blood was the most powerful there but she could understand why. A wolf rested on the ground, vicious wounds littering its person, allowing blood to seep out and stain the soil beneath it. The wolf seemed to be struggling to stay conscious, it had lost the strength to struggle long ago.

She slowly approached the wolf and took note of its hastened breathing. The wolf's eyes snapped open and darted to her. They held a sense of panic in them that she had never seen before. Its breathing quickened and it started panting quickly. She put her paw up to try and calm the wolf but it didn't garner the reaction she was hoping for. The wolf start crawling towards her, which caused blood to spill out of its wounds again.

"Wait, stop-you're hurt." She tried to reason with it.

"Ss..." It tried to say something but its position on the ground made it difficult to hear. She lowered her head just low enough to get better hearing but kept it far enough away to snap back in case it tried attacking. "S... save... save the pack... Dire wolves-attacking..." He managed out before laying back down completely.

She starred at him and tried to make sense of it. He said to save the pack but what pack? He also said something about the Dire wolves. She looked back down to him and noticed he was staring off into the woods at nothing in particular. He was still alive but from the look of his injuries, he couldn't be moved. Several gashes on his stomach and bite marks on his neck and legs. He wasn't going to make it, she wouldn't be able to get him help in time.

She thought over his words, save _the_ pack and Dire wolves attacking. Her eyes slowly started increasing in size, the Dire wolves are attacking a pack. They had attacked this wolf while attacking a pack. This wolf was in their territory-the only packs near their territory are the Dire wolves. Then a moment of triumph, a light bulb had appeared over her head when she understood the meaning in his message.

The pack was under attack...


	5. 005

**Author's Note:  
** Hey, here I am with the latest piece of the story. I don't know about you all but I am on a roll. If you could do me the immense favor of telling me what you think of this story? It actually means a lot to me when I read your reviews. Oh, my new favorite line every is: " _Just ignore the burning hell-scape that's collapsing in behind me._ " - Starbomb

WARNING: This chapter contains graphic content not suitable for some audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

* * *

 **Alpha and Omega**

 _ **The Twists of Fate**_

005

" _Tending the Flame_ "

* * *

Humphrey was sitting on a rock near a pair of train tracks. He was waiting for the birds Marcel and Paddy to arrive. They had arranged to guide him during his passage to Jasper Park. Jasper Park, the home of the East and West packs as well as his birth home. If everything went according to plan then he was going to return to a place he hadn't been to since before winter. It was needless to say that he was nervous about returning.

The time of three months may seem insignificant to us but for Humphrey it was very significant. He knew all too well how much can change in that short span of time. He had experienced it first hand with Kate when she returned from Alpha school, she was practically a different person. With his absence for so long from the pack, he had to wonder if others had undergone a similar change. While he battled with expectants of how drastically different everyone _could_ be, he also battled with an underlying feeling of insignificance. What if nothing had changed since he left-if his disappearance truly effected anyone. Whatever the case was, he would discover the reality of it soon enough.

The sound of flapping bird wings reached his ears. He turned his head in the direction of the sound. Two birds were approaching him, a duck and a goose. The duck, Paddy, seemed to glide with ease over the wind; however, the goose, Marcel, seemed to struggle no matter where he flew. It would seem that the birds were genuine when they had made their offer.

"Hi, glad to see you were telling the truth." Humphrey told the birds once they landed.

"You insinuate we are liars-that we are not birds of our words? I am offended!" The goose had replied, surprising Humphrey that he wasn't out of breath as with the other times they'd met.

"Well forgive me for being skeptical, it's not like you abandoned me the first time we met."

"I believe I explained that we couldn't locate you once we found a suitable den." Paddy stepped into the conversation. The goose stuck its tongue out at Humphrey.

"Yeah, yeah... You know it still doesn't feel that way."

"Well I'm sorry that you feel that way Humphrey. In any case, the train will be arriving soon and it'll be the only one for some time. You should get ready to jump aboard it." Paddy explained.

"Yeah, hey-you wouldn't mind waiting just a bit longer, would you? It's just that I have a friend who said they'd see me off-"

"What do we look like, some sort of travel agent?" The goose said to Humphrey. "No, you will board it at the agreed time."

"Come on, there's no way to stall?" Humphrey inquired.

"Well... the last train car on this train is always open." Paddy mused.

"And there are always a few extra open train cars on this one in particular..." The goose added before he looked to the duck. The two birds nodded to one another before turning back to Humphrey. "Fine, you can have your extra time but when we finally tell you it's time to go, you have to listen."

"Alright, thank you again for this." Humphrey thanked the two birds. He then turned and ear to listen for the train. The was no sound even when he strained to hear the faintest bit of it. That was good, it meant there was still a good bit of time until he had to leave. Hopefully Decka would make it before he had to leave...

 **xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx**

Decka ran through the woods on her journey to the den area. She had to see for herself if that wolf was telling the truth. If there was an attack then it would be on the den area. That's where they would do the most damage by catching them off guard. It's also where Slash would be if she got there before the attackers.

Her face cringed again as the smell of iron overwhelmed her sense of smell. She pressed on and ran right past another corpse. She cringed again when she realized she recognized the wolf. They had been child hood friends, so to see their body so lifeless made her heart sink. She found herself approaching the den areas quicker than she had anticipated. She slowed her approached and then stopped completely when she caught sight of the den area. She could not believe what she was seeing.

The corpses of several wolves were strewn here and there like the garbage humans leave. Bloodied forms from not just her pack lied still, wolves from the Dire pack also made up some of corpses. The sound of wolves still fighting reached her ears, thus snapping her out of her frozen state. She rushed forward as fast as possible to the closest fight she could hear. There was a Dire wolf preparing to attack one of her pack members.

She reacted without thinking and leaped onto the wolf's back. She immediately bite onto the back of its neck and sunk her claws into its shoulders. The wolf howled in pain from her surprise attack and tried to throw her off. Its form began to resemble more of a bull's than a wolf's with the way it started to thrash. She tried to sink her teeth in further to keep her grip on the wolf but the powerful thrusts quickly tired out her jaw. Fortunately, when the wolf had tossed her off she still had her teeth in its hide. Those teeth sliced open the back of its neck when they were yanked free.

When she landed, she immediately rolled before standing up. The Dire wolf turned and snarled at her. She too bared her fangs at the larger wolf. The Dire wolf tried to lunge at her but its legs buckled when another wolf had leaped on its back. It was the one it had taken its eyes off of.

They tried to throw the other wolf off of its back but to no avail. Decka took the opportunity to attack the wolf and snapped at its neck. Fortunately the wolf was too distracted by the attacker on its back. She managed to tear out its throat quick and clean, thus sending the large wolf to the ground. With the intruder defeated, Decka turned to her fellow pack member to get some answers.

"What happened? How did these wolves get this far into our territory?" She asked frantically.

"I don't know how they got so far without the patrols noticing. They attacked out of no where." They replied.

"Damn..." Decka muttered to her self. She glanced around her self and found carnage in every direction. "Look I'm going to got find Slash and see if he's okay. Do you think you can gather up survivors until I get back?" She asked.

"I'll try." The wolf finished with a grunt before moving to look for others. Decka didn't linger long after they left and made for the alpha den. If she wanted to find him then protecting his family would be the best bet.

The further she pressed into the den area the more her heart sank. Corpses of both packs were strewn seemingly everywhere. It looked like no one was spared from the fighting. She couldn't afford to lag and gawk at the destruction though. She redoubled her efforts to find her brother's den amidst the chaos. She could only pray in her head that he and his family were alright.

For some reason the Dire clan had finally attacked. The wolves from that pack were naturally built better for combat. The were larger, tougher, and more aggressive than her fellow pack members. Fortunately, they weren't bright and the pack they belonged to didn't prioritize honing their skills. This granted their pack some wiggle room when fighting them. Fortunately, their pack also had its fair share of power houses. Wolves like Slash, Jack, Bruce and Humphrey were close enough to Dire wolves to tip the scale in their favor.

Decka skidded to a stop just short of the alpha den. Three dead Dire wolves lay outside of the den at its entrance. She slowly crept over the the bodies, trying her best not to step in the blood that pulled around them. The inside of the den reeked of the scent of blood. She took only a moment to brace herself against the stench.

The inside of the den was dark, darker than she remembered it being. The air was damp, most likely from the blood in the air but Decka tried not to think of that. The sheer amount of the liquid almost made her sick. She quickly headed to the back of the den where she knew her brother had the back room. Once she rounded the corner she caught sight of something unbelievable.

She felt her breath hitch in her throat and she slowed. She tried to blink, to look away, but her body refused to take her eyes off the scene before her. She did in fact managed to locate her brother but it wasn't how she imagined it. She didn't know what she imagined it to be like but this certainly wasn't it. Her brother was currently hunched over, the dead body of a Dire wolf on the ground to his back.

The choked out sob were barely audible in the den. She couldn't manage to squeeze a single sound out. She couldn't even hold the single tear that slid down her cheek. There were few things in the world that could bring her brother to tears. She need not look over his shoulder to know what had brought him down to his knees. She somehow inexplicably knew in her heart what it was. Still though, she was having trouble swallowing the truth and accepting it.

"Slash..." She eventually choked out. She paused after hearing herself speak to him. She had never heard her voice be so frail before. She never expected it to be _so weak_ in her life. No one could blame her though, nor the wolf before her. She tried taking a step forward but stopped when his head snapped to her, unfiltered rage spilling forth from his eyes. Those hard eyes eventually softened once he realized who he was staring at.

"They... they... Decka they..." He tried telling his sister but he continued to choke on his own words. He clenched his eyes tight to prevent more tears from spilling forth. It didn't work, the zipped down his cheeks as he tried to choke down more sobs. "... they took them-all of them..." He cried out to her.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." Was all she could let out, lest she too fall into a pool of sorrow. It tore her heart to bits to see her older brother sitting there, so broken. Words could not describe the pain he was going through but they also couldn't describe the pain it put her through to see him like that.

"My... my pups... my wife... every single one..." He managed to say between heavy breathing. He wanted to crumble right then and there. She had nothing to say to help him. There was nothing she _could_ say to help ease the pain. His family was dead, murdered, in front of him. He wanted to be right there with them.

"Slash... we need to find who did this..." She said quietly to him, trying to distract him from the loss. "Our people are still dying, the ones who did this are still killing the rest of our family." She continued to say to him and it seemed to work somewhat.

She could no longer hear him trying to hold back his tears and cries of agony. She couldn't hear anything from him anymore. She could only see the slow fall of his shoulders before it began to speed up. He bent his head down to where his family lay and paused before turning and shuffling past Decka. No words were spoken between them but none were wanted.

Decka was tempted to follow immediately after her brother but she stopped. For some reason, unfathomable to her at the time, she was compelled to look back. There, with rays of sunlight beaming through onto their face, laid his wife. Red staining her snow white fur and her body wrapped protectively around her pups in a last desperate attempt to save them. She couldn't look any longer, she forcefully tore her eyes away from the scene.

She exited the den and was relieved to be away from the corpses of her brother's family. The fresh air soothed it if even just a little. Her brother was apparently waiting for her exit too. He simply turned and gave her a nod and tried to keep eye contact to a minimum. He was kind enough to let her take a few breaths of air, he understood how sick her stomach was-his was too.

"Decka..." He started but paused, his voice was dry and crackly from his time spent morning. "We're going to find who did this and they are going to pay." He told her before looking around at the destruction. "Even if we have to kill every single Dire wolf alive." He added before walking away from her, eventually moving into a sprint. Decka managed to keep pace with her angered brother the whole way.

She didn't know where he was leading her but she had an idea. He was going to hunt down every last Dire wolf in all of Sawtooth. He was going to make them pay in full for their actions. He was going to do this and much more but first he needed to locate the one that headed the attack. The last he had heard of their plans was when he dispatched those foolish enough to stay at his den. Their commander was heading to the waterfall, many of the survivors had regrouped there.

 **xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx**

Humphrey paced around the large rock he had been laying on for more than an hour. It was a safe assumption that the omega turned hunter was bored out of his mind. He had been stuck waiting for the train to arrive with nothing but silence to accompany him. The two birds had taken to playing a game they had taken a liking to. They called it mini-golf and had proceeded to play the game as if what they were doing wasn't unnatural in any sense.

The duck had grabbed a bunch of random things from throughout the woods and brought them there. Rocks, chunks of bark, broken logs and so much more. Humphrey almost thought the duck had lost its marbles when it brought all of that junk back. The duck then proceeded to arrange all of the items into strange pattern. According to the duck, it was setting up a course for them to play on.

The duck then took to scratching in some kind of scoreboard on a nearby tree. The goose took an odd looking stick with and placed a tiny smooth looking rock on the ground. From there he began hitting it around the obstacles until it reached the whole. The bird partook in the strange activity too and soon the two were allegedly "neck and neck" in their game. From what Humphrey could tell, the goose wasn't entirely honest when it came to the game and often tried to sway the rules when unpredictable things happened.

Of course, one reminder of the rules and being called a liar would always set the goose straight. When the birds finished the first course the yellow duck quickly went to work and rearranged it. Humphrey had been genuinely interested during the first four courses. Unfortunately, once the fifth time came around he found his mind wondering in search of more interesting things. By the time the eighth course had come up he had taken to ignoring the activity all together. He seriously had to wonder who in a sane state of mind would continuously hit a pebble with a club for so long and not be bored.

It was some what of a relief when the distant sound of a train horn could be heard. Perhaps it was the break from the two birds chatting about their game that was welcomed. Maybe it was the idea that something relevant would actually be happening in the near future. Either way, he was thankful that something was actually happening. The two bird companions he had must have heard the horn as well. They had quickly begun to pack up their things and clear away the course they made.

Humphrey took the time to check around the area they were in. He was excited that the train was arriving but with that excitement came a feeling of concern. His friend had yet to arrive to see him off on his trip. If she didn't arrive then it would be months before he saw her again. He let out a sigh, hope for the best and expect the worst was tried and true saying.

Little did he know that while he had problems of his own, his friend had much more severe problems. She had followed Slash and he had lead her to the waterfall. Sure enough, the bastard responsible for the attack was there with the remainder of his forces. Eight Dire wolves in total surrounded the last ten in their pack. The cockiness in his stance, the smugness on his face-it all made for the perfect cocktail that set Slash's innards a flame.

Like a flash of lightning he lashed out at the enemy wolf. The attack didn't go unnoticed, for the leader's pained yelps drew upon the attention of the others. In that brief lapse of vigilance the wolves they had trapped turned on them. It was like a moment pulled straight from cinema, not that the wolves had an idea of such a thing. Decka snapped herself out of the daze and zeroed in on the nearest pack member fighting an enemy wolf. They needed her help more than Slash did. Even so, she wouldn't steal that victory from him after what had occurred.

She bit down on the backs of their legs, causing the wolf to rear back its head in pain. It was quickly brought down by the combined cooperation of the two Sawtooth wolves. From there, Decka and her pack member worked to help other wolves. The more the helped, the quicker their numbers built. Eventually the Dire wolf numbers had dropped dramatically until only two remained. One wolf, though large in stature, was clearly young and inexperienced. The other was the leader of their force, scratch and cut up.

"You-you think you're gonna survive this?" Their leader laughed maniacally at the Sawtooth pack. "There are dozens more of us, you aren't accomplishing anything today by surviving-just prolonging the inevitable!" His laughed turned to screams of desperation.

"You like to hear yourself talk, don't you?" A deathly quiet voice said from behind the leader. The wolf spun around only to find a pair of jaws clenched tightly around its neck. The wolf wheezed and choked out gasps of air. "That's good, maybe if I start by taking away that-then, maybe then you'll understand..."

"Wait..."

"How... how did you reach the dens without raising the alarm?"

"It-it was a traitor, one of yours-agh!" Slash tightened his grip on the wolf's throat.

"No! It's true! They let us in and in return they were spared-gah!"

The sickening sound of flesh being stripped from its kin filled the air. It was followed by the spurting sound that squeezed blood out of the the exposed arteries. The dirt turned marooned when blood splattered across it. A moment of nothing but the sound of blood shooting out, then a heavy thud followed. Slash stared down at the wolf with no remorse in his eyes. They would suffer before they passed on, for the memory of his family.

He looked up from the body and found the other wolf still standing there. It was seemingly too shocked, whether by fear or surprise at the ruthlessness of it. In either case, it didn't matter to the leader of the Sawtooth pack. He simply stared at the wolf that stood gawking at him. His stare hardened into a glare, it had no right to look at him as if he were a monster.

"Run..." He told the wolf before pausing. The wolf didn't need to be told twice before it turned around and fled into the forest. He watched it for a moment before calling one of the survivors over. "Jack... Go get 'em..." He told the wolf, who nodded vigorously before taking off into the woods to give chase. Once the wolf named Jack disappeared into the forest he turned to face the rest of the survivors.

The survivors looked worse for wear. Blood and dirt matted fur stuck to their bodies. Wounds littered each and every one of them. It slightly ached his heart when he saw the only young survivors were the twins. The two wolves he had Humphrey teach not too long ago. Speaking of the wolf, he was no where to be seen amidst the survivors. Had they gotten to him too and he died?

He shook his head free of the thoughts. The idea of such a close friend having fallen shook him. The last thing he needed resting on his conscious was the death of another close friend, another family member. He needed to be here in the now for what remained of his pack. They had prevailed over the attackers, each and everyone of them dead. Now there was the matter of the alleged traitor to attend to. If there was in fact one then he was going to ensure the suffer a slow and agonizing death.

"We prevailed today, each and everyone of us." He announced to the members of his pack. "We are all survivors, we are now brothers and sisters that share a bond through surviving this-nothing can take that away." He added, trying to bring them back together. "But according to the bastard I just killed... one of us betrayed everyone else." The revelation earned shocked expressions among everyone present. "We need to find this traitor and we need to make them pay for what they did to us, to our pack."

"I want you all to go and search the bodies. Figure out who was and wasn't present when the enemy attacked. Chances are the coward fled before the fighting even started..." He stated, mumbling the last part to himself. The remaining wolves dispersed and headed back to the den area to search it. When the wolves had all cleared, only one wolf remained-his sister. He sighed, he could always count on her but sometimes it wasn't enough-he needed time to himself to mourn his family.

"Slash-"

"Decka-look, I know you want to help me. I know you want to comfort me but I... I need to figure this out on myself."

"Slash, I-"

"Please, just let me work this out on my own... I'll be fine... In the mean time you need to go look for Humphrey, we're going to need his help in rebuilding the packs... I just pray that he's alright-"

"Slash, Humphrey's... Humphrey's not here anymore..." Decka confessed to her older brother, causing his eyes to widen. His head slowly craned back around so he could stare at her.

"No... you... you don't me he... he's not d-"

"No... he left..." Decka corrected the line of thought in his head. "I helped him leave... I was going to tell you once I returned but by the time I returned they had already attacked." Decka told her older brother. "I didn't think anything of it at the time but... now..." Decka felt tears prick her eyes.

She truly had thought nothing of it at the time but now that she looked back with a more critical eye she noticed discrepancies. She had managed to sneak up on him, something she had _never_ accomplished before-it was a running gag with them. Then his plans to leave the pack, somehow not coming to the idea of _just visiting_ his old home and returning. Now everything was starting to fall into place and she had helped. How... how could he do it and... how could he do it and still face her with that smile...

The warmth of a body pressed up against her.

"Don't... we'll get him for what he did... This isn't over..."


	6. 006

**Review Response:**

[Christian Knight]: Thanks for the review and compliment. I'm glad to see that you are enjoying the story thus far. I can assure you that it only gets better from there.

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* * *

 **Alpha and Omega**

 _ **The Twists of Fate**_

006

" _On Not-So-Familiar Grounds_ "

* * *

The day had barely begun in Jasper Park, Canada. The sun was rising into the sky and many of the denizens inside the park were starting to wake. One denizen in particular was a wolf from out of the area. The denizen had chosen a train car as its shelter. A train car attached to a train that had just entered the park. This denizen was a wolf that had been gone for a long time. The wolf of subject was none other than Humphrey.

He had been riding on the train for quite some time since his departure from Sawtooth. The journey was so long that he had to wonder how far he had traveled from Sawtooth. He had seen the landscape change so many times while on the train. To think that humans had created such a thing, they sure did know how to travel didn't they? The only real drawback from traveling on it was the lack of refreshments. That and the occasional bump from the tracks that made sleeping hell. There was nothing like finding a good spot to sleep, only for the train to hit a bump in the track that cause him to bang his head on the floor.

He glanced around the room her was in. There were many strange things laying about, all of them made of wood and unnaturally smooth. Dirt and hay littered the floor in the train car but he didn't mind-it made for great bedding material. Then there was the matter of the two birds inside of the train. Paddy and Marcel were an interesting duo, there was no denying that. They always had some sort of strange tale to share with him, even when he didn't ask. Strangely enough, Humphrey actually found the birds had been growing on him since the start of the trip.

The two birds were still asleep on top of the strange wooden man made structures. He would probably need to wake them soon, else he risk missing his stop. He looked outside of the train car and watched the landscape fly past. Green trees, tan dirt, green grass and luscious rivers of water all glistened under the morning sun. In short, the scenery was beautiful and would admit to a tiny bit of jealousy. Deep down inside, he wished Sawtooth looked as miraculous as what he was seeing.

"Mhm, birdie..." A voice murmured from behind him. He recognized the voice as Paddy, he had probably been talking in his sleep. With a sigh, Humphrey turned away from the beautiful landscape and faced the two birds. Of course, they were still snoozing but that needed to end if he was going to get where he needed to be. He walked over to them and stopped when he was standing over them.

"Hey! Marcel, Paddy!" He shouted at the birds and watched with a smug smile as they jumped. "It's daylight, we need to get moving and I don't know where the stop is." He told them before walking back to the door of the train.

"You know, you could have not woken us by screaming in our face." Marcel said while he stood and dusted himself off.

"Sorry but my days of slacking are behind me. In any case, the faster we get there the less you have to put up with that." Humphrey finished with a wink and a smile to the two birds.

"Still..." Marcel grumbled before the sound of flapping wings could be heard. In an instant, Paddy flew out of the train car and Marcel followed quickly after the yellow duck. That left Humphrey alone on the train once again, though it wouldn't be for long. The birds quickly returned to his side and gave a report on their location. Humphrey just hadn't expected the _how much_ progress they had made in the middle of the night.

"It seems your stop is approaching rather rapidly. You might want to prepare to jump!" The duck shouted to him over the sound of the rushing wind and train tracks. Humphrey, rather than say something, nodded his head and prepared to leap.

One second...

Five seconds...

Ten seconds...

Fifteen seconds...

Twenty seconds...

"Hey, what's taking so lo-"

"Jump!" The yellow bird interrupted him. The urgent tone they had used caused him to leap in a rushed jump that had resulted in a botched landing accompanied by a few aching bruises. Even with the injuries, Humphrey quickly climbed to his four paws and shook off the aching. A testament to how durable a wolf needs to be if they're to survive like he had. "Are you alright?" Paddy said as they landed next to him, genuine concern etched into his face.

"I'm fine Paddy, a few bruises, but no serious injuries." Humphrey said.

"Good, it would be a shame if we were to come all this way for nothing." The heavy French accent was all one needed to know it was Marcel. Humphrey turned around and noticed the bird had landed without a sound.

"Hm, you're becoming quieter when you fly now." Humphrey told the goose.

"Well, when you're a bird that lives in the wild-you must." Marcel explained with no small bit of pride in his voice. "While you may be friendly and open to talking, not many other animals feel the same."

"I guess you have a point." Humphrey said before looking to the tree line some distance away. He had been fortunate enough to land in an open area void of rocks and trees, though Paddy was probably to thank. "Well, let's go visit my home guys." Humphrey said before he trotted to the edge of the forest and entered. Paddy and Marcel simply gave each other a look before taking to the sky once more. They may have trusted Humphrey but that did not mean they would take their chances on the ground. One did not live as long as they did by being fools.

While the duck and the goose soared over head and kept a close eye on him, Humphrey had taken to finding some sort of territorial mark from his old pack. He searched on rocks, at the base of trees, even on bushes but could not find a single trace of them. For a moment, however brief, the idea of some terrible fate befalling the pack entered his mind. What if hunters got them like they had him or if they had to migrate because of the dwindling food? What if the other pack attacked and they went to war-Humphrey stopped himself on that thought. It would not do any good if he focused on something that may not have happened. Though he had banished the thoughts from his mind, that did not mean the fear that had gripped his heart had entirely left him.

Humphrey stopped where he was and took in the environment around him. He let out a sigh when he realized he didn't recognize any of it. It had been so long since he had been to the forest that the place had become unfamiliar. Was his memory fading or had something happened to the forest? No scent markings, no paths that wolves would have traveled along, it felt foreign-it felt wrong.

 _Crack..._

Humphrey's ear twitched in the direction the sound came from. He spun around on all fours and stared at a pair of bushes. He waited and the only sound to break the silence was the wind gusts passing over. His eyes may have been locked on the bush but his ears were scanning his surroundings. That was a branch breaking and branches don't break on their own. Something had to have stepped on it, which meant Humphrey was not alone.

"I'm impressed." A voice came from behind the bushes before a wolf pushed its way through them. "Not many intruders are that perceptive of the environment around them." The wolf told Humphrey with a calm tone but it's voice reflected nothing but seriousness. Its fur was a caramel color with fur turning brown along their back. "Who are you and what are doing here?"

"That depends on who you are, I don't recognize you." Humphrey told them.

"Heh, that's a funny one. The trespasser doesn't recognize a wolf from the territory they're trespassing on." The wolf replied whilst they chuckled. "I don't have to tell you who I am, you're the one who doesn't belong." The wolf's voice lowered to a growl.

"I suppose I could say the same to you." Humphrey said before he lowered his body. The sound of rustling leaves and more growling reached his sensitive ears. Humphrey glanced around himself and discovered three more wolves had exited the surrounding brush.

"Now what was that?" The wolf said whilst lowering his voice even more. Humphrey's eyes darted between the four wolves that surrounded him. He was strong for a wolf, he was sure of that, and strong enough to over power the one before him. Unfortunately, he wasn't strong enough to overcome _four_ wolves at the same time. With a sigh of bitterness, Humphrey spoke his name to the wolf.

"Humphrey, my name's Humphrey." The wolves stopped advancing but the apparent caramel wolf stepped forward.

"Oliver, I would say it's a pleasure to meet you but that'd be lying." The wolf grinned at Humphrey, intensifying the feeling of irritation he held on to. Humphrey opened his mouth to make a witty response but was unable to. The air was pushed from his body when he was tackled and pinned. Then, before Humphrey could muster a thought, a sharp pain exploded from the back of his head and his world sunk into darkness. "Sweet dreams princess..."

 **xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx**

The outcries of several voices could be heard from inside a den. All of them panicked but none of them distinguishable from one or the other. The wolf inside of the den covered their head with their paws and let out a puff of disdain. They clambered to their feet and made their way to the entrance of the den. There they could make out the voice of another wolf, a wolf that was trying to ease the masses.

"Please calm down! Behaving like pups will not solve anything!"

"Let's see you say that when you have to go hungry to feed your pups!" A voice cried out followed by a chorus of agreements.

"I understand your concerns and the pack leader will hear you out if you behave..." Another chorus of cries erupted from the crowd and drowned out anything else he might have said. He shook his head at the crowd's behavior, the situation was certainly becoming worse. Yes, this was the sight that awaited pack leader Kate when she emerged from her den. This prompted her to sigh, which drew the attention of the wolf trying to mediate the situation.

"Pack leader." The wolf bowed his head to acknowledge her position over him.

"Hello Blue." Kate greeted with a tired sigh before she glanced over the crowd. Her appearance seemed to rile them up even more than when they were ignored. "What's the problem this time?"

"They're mad about the food shortage, as usual." He explained.

"Then why don't they take it up with Garth then?" She whined.

"Pack leader Garth took the hunters out on another hunt." Blue told her, which drew a sigh from her.

"Always pushing himself it seems..." Kate commented.

"Indeed, what should we do?"

"Tell them to return to their dens and let them know of the hunt." Kate ordered him.

"As you wish." He bowed his head before he turned and climbed down to the rest of the wolves.

She could hear him begin to explain her orders and the hunt in progress. Much to her ire, none of the wolves wanted to leave at that. Perhaps they thought she was simply telling them fables to get them off her doorstep, she did not care. She was their pack leader and they would listen to her just as they had listened to her parents. One of the wolves stepped forward and challenged Blue, which made her grit her teeth. She stepped to the edge of the balcony that made up the front of her den and mustered the deepest voice she could.

"Leave! Now! I will not repeat myself! You will get food but you have better things to do then stand here and complain!" She leaped down to ground level and stared the others in their eyes. "Nothing is accomplished when we refuse to work because we don't like something. Our parents didn't have successful lives by simply crying about it and refusing to do their duties and neither will we. Get back to your duties now and I will see to it we have a feast!" She called to her wolves, all of which had replaced their angered looks with ones that were a mix of shame and irritation. Needless to say, they had all quickly dispersed after her speech and promise.

"Thank pack leader." Blue's voice caught Kate's attention.

"No problem Blue... Have the patrols reported in yet?" She asked her right hand.

"No ma'am, still no word yet." Blue replied, which pulled another sigh from her mouth.

"Send a search party out for them... and remind me later to visit my parents." She added.

"Ma'am?"

"I owe them an apology for being a little headache for them." She elaborated.

"Ah, I'll get on it as soon as possible. Anything else?"

"No, that'll be all."

"Then I shall take me leave." The wolf turned and ran into the woods, which left Kate alone with her thoughts.

Six whole months, she had been the leader for all of six months and everything had gone to shit. The beginning was the resignation of her parents and Garth's father. Then the surprise announcement of the packs unification by her and Garth's marriage had taken both by storm. It seemed neither side wanted to get along with the other but that's just what they did, at least most of them. The divide had happened so quickly that it was more of a blur to her than a clear memory. Then the exodus due to the different societal views and-stop. She stopped right there because the memories were bringing back migraines.

"Ma'am!" Her head shot up and she caught sight of a fellow wolf. Caramel brown with chocolate brown along his back, Oliver. He approached her with a rushed pace, one that caused her to raise an eyebrow. "Pack leader Kate." He bowed his head in respect before continuing. "We caught a wolf trespassing in our territory again."

"Is that why you failed to report in?" She asked him, to which he nodded his head. She took a moment to think about the situation at hand. There had been a number of wolves encroaching on their territory since the divide. She had been generous and let them go when they were caught but she was losing patience with them. She didn't want to kill them, that could start a war, but she couldn't let these antagonistic deeds go unpunished... "Bring them to the abandoned dens to the east of the territory, I'll meet you there... and don't be afraid to rough them up."

"Yes ma'am." He bowed his head before turning and rushing off to regroup with those under his command. Kate turned away and faced a guard that had been standing perfectly still, their purpose to protect the pack leader's den until further notice. "You, go alert Blue that he doesn't need to send a search party."

"Yes ma'am!" The wolf too bowed its head before bolting to catch the right hand. Kate shook her head before muttering to herself.

"I should have known leading wasn't going to be easy..."

 **xxxXxxxXxxxXxxx**

"Move it!"

Humphrey coughed before he climbed to his feet after being forced to trip by one of the larger wolves. It was extremely muscular, more so than him, and it had taken to venting on him. He moved at a steady pace in the directions they would lead him and, on occasion, get back to his feet when one would grab him by the scruff of his neck and throw him to the ground when they would change direction suddenly. Thankfully, that was over as they had arrived at a den site that looked abandoned. Humphrey was escorted into one that looked like it hadn't been properly maintained for

"Just sit tight in here, nice an cozzy." One of the wolves told him and Humphrey did as told. He reached the back of the den before he turned to face them. The two of the three had followed him into the den and sat at the door, leaving the lumbering brute outside. They waited and Humphrey could swear they were glaring at him. It brought a smile to his face to see them _attempt_ to intimidate him.

"You know glaring is a terrible way to frighten your enemies." Humphrey said while smirking to them, which saw one of them narrowing their eyes even more. "Seriously, the whole stand there with no emotion like statues is better suited for it-unnerves them more."

"Shut up, mutt!" One of them barked at him, only for him to chuckle.

"Wow, you guys are seriously green huh?" This one pulled the other into the argument.

"Green or not, there are two of us and only one of you. What are you gonna do if we decide to rough you up?" The wolf grinned at Humphrey, who kept his poker face up.

"Sure, sure, you two small fries are gonna bring me down. The lumbering brute outside, I could believe that but not you two." He chuckled, which apparently set them over the edge.

The first lunged at him in an attempt to bite his shoulder. What had actually happened was Humphrey grabbed the wolf by the nape of his neck and flung him away. The wolf landed by their companion before rolling over and scrambling to their feet. The wolf let out deep and ragged breaths that screamed murder. Humphrey had to wonder how these wolves were even allowed to be patrols, though he didn't keep that to himself.

"How did you two even manage to snag a spot as patrols? You two shouldn't even be out of Alpha School with that form." He giggled to himself once more, which set the other wolf off. They were smaller and quicker, which allowed him to dart closer to Humphrey than the other. Their attack was still just as futile though as Humphrey repeated the same thing with them. While he did that though, one had managed to duck under and bite Humphrey's front right paw. "Agh!" Humphrey threw the other wolf and focused on the one gnawing on his leg.

"Get off you little shit!" Another bite to the nape saw Humphrey slam the wolf into one of the walls of the den. The blow had knocked the breath from the wolf, which allowed Humphrey to shake him like a rag doll in his mouth. After a moment, Humphrey felt they had enough and then threw the wolf into their comrade, who was struggling to stand. The impact made them collapse with a yelp and he would be lying if he didn't admit it gave him a small bit of pleasure to seem the knocked out cold. He held a chuckle in before slowly poking his head out of the den. Outside was so much brighter than the inside, something he didn't dwell on, and the brute was sitting to the side of the den entrance. They were scanning the surroundings for something but that was good, for Humphrey.

Humphrey tensed his legs and prepared to bolt the moment their head was furthest from seeing him...

 _There!..._

Humphrey leaped out from the den and heard the cry of the wolf behind him. He landed and began to run without looking back, no doubt the other wolf was already in pursuit. He didn't have time to waste with those wolves and whoever they were associated with. He needed to find what happened to Shaky, to Mooch, to Salty, to Ka-to his pack! He didn't even reach the tree line when a strong pair of jaws clamped down on his tail. He yelped in pain before he rolling onto his side, which freed his tail from the brute's jaws. Humphrey didn't waste time and got to his feet before charging the brute.

The brute met him and both rose to their hind legs before they crashed into each other. Both pushed off of the other and both sported nasty cuts on their maw. Humphrey reacted quicker and rose to meet them again and they him; however, Humphrey chose to leap into the air. The action had caught them by surprise and allowed Humphrey to get a mouth full of the back of their neck. As the brute backed down to try and shake Humphrey off, he clamped down harder and tried to climb onto their back. When he couldn't, Humphrey began to pull on the wolf's neck and managed to pull them to the ground.

The wolf rolled onto their back Humphrey hadn't stopped and planted his paw on the wolf's neck. The wolf struggled but Humphrey didn't let them go and put more pressure on their neck, eventually putting his whole weight no it. The wolf jerked and tried to throw Humphrey off but he would just readjust in less than a second. The wolf began to slow and occasionally stopped to cough, which was followed by a whine. Eventually the wolf stopped moving and Humphrey waited before stepping off of them. In an instant, their lungs filled with air and they took quick and short breaths in-between coughing. Humphrey watched for a moment, to make sure they were not faking their exhaustion, before he turned to bolt.

He never got the chance...

"Where the hell do you think you're going!" Humphrey was flung to the ground when he was blindsided. He quickly rolled over, jumped up, and collided with his attacker. When they backed down, he could see clearly that they were Oliver. Humphrey growled at the wolf, who only replied with a chuckle and a dangerous, some might say feral, grin. "Almost got away didn't you?"

"Yeah, took those amateurs down in less than 5 minutes." Humphrey returned the grin and the two began to circle one-another.

"Well then, we should probably skip the song and dance-shouldn't we?" Oliver said.

"Yeah, let's..."

Humphrey braced himself for another fight, one he would need to end quickly before the brute recovered...

"WAIT!" Humphrey froze when he heard the voice, _that voice._ He completely ignored Oliver's presence there in favor of the owner of that voice. He turned and saw the very last person he had expected to see at that moment. He was too shocked or perhaps awestruck is the more appropriate term? There, standing at the top of a hill that lead down to the den area...

... was none other than the pack leader...

"Kate?!"


End file.
